£tmtbart>  SUbrarp  €bition 


THE  WRITINGS    OF 
BRET  HARTE 

WITH  INTRODUCTIONS,  GLOSSARY,  AND 
INDEXES 

ILL  USTRA  TED  B  Y  PHO  TOGRA  VURES 
VOLUME  V 


Don  Jost  Sepulvida  and  Bucking  Bob 


STANDARD  LIBKAKTEBITIOK 


»*;&.- 


HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  &  CO. 


$  of  California  ana  tlje  ^frontier 


MARUJA 


AND   OTHER   TALES 


BY 


BRET   HARTE 


BOSTON    AND    NEW   YORK 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND   COMPANY 


Copyright,  1885,  1886,  1887,  1889, 
BY  BRET  HARTE. 

Copyright,  1896, 
Br  HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  &  CO, 

All  rights  reserved. 


PS 


/M3 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

MARUJA 1 

SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 140 

A  MILLIONAIRE  OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 250 

A  DRIFT  FROM  REDWOOD  CAMP 342 

CAPTAIN  JIM'S  FRIEND 365 

THE  HERITAGE  OF  DEDLOW  MARSH 397 

A  KNIGHT-ERRANT  OF  THE  FOOT-HILLS 452 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

FAQB 

DON  JOSE"  SEPULVIDA  AND  "BUCKING  BOB" 

(see  page  460)     Frontispiece Frederic  Remington 

VIGNETTE  ON  ENGRAVED  TITLE-PAGE  (see  page 

452) B.  West  Clinedinst 

SHE  HALTED  A  FEW  PACES  OFF B.  West  Clinedinst    .      8 

ISN'T  THAT  THING  AN  EAGLE Eric  Pape     ....  222 

Go  SLOW,  OLD  MAN  ;  GO  SLOW Otto  H.  Backer     .    .  328 

SUTHIN'  INTERESTIN' Guy  Hose 416 


MARUJA  AND  OTHER  TALES 


MAEUJA 
CHAPTER  I 

MORNING  was  breaking  on  the  highroad  to  San  Jose*. 
The  long  lines  of  dusty,  level  track  were  beginning  to  ex- 
tend their  vanishing  point  in  the  growing  light ;  on  either 
side  the  awakening  fields  of  wheat  and  oats  were  stretching 
out  and  broadening  to  the  sky.  In  the  east  and  south  the 
stars  were  receding  before  the  coming  day  ;  in  the  west 
a  few  still  glimmered,  caught  among  the  bosky  hills  of 
the  canada  del  Raimundo,  where  night  seemed  to  linger. 
Thither  some  obscure,  low-flying  birds  were  slowly  winging ; 
thither  a  gray  coyote,  overtaken  by  the  morning,  was  awk- 
wardly limping.  And  thither  a  tramping  wayfarer  turned, 
ploughing  through  the  dust  of  the  highway  still  unslaked 
by  the  dewless  night,  to  climb  the  fence  and  likewise  seek 
the  distant  cover. 

For  some  moments  man  and  beast  kept  an  equal  pace 
and  gait  with  a  strange  similarity  of  appearance  and  expres- 
sion ;  the  coyote  bearing  that  resemblance  to  his  more  civil- 
ized and  harmless  congener,  the  dog,  which  the  tramp  bore 
to  the  ordinary  pedestrians,  but  both  exhibiting  the  same 
characteristics  of  lazy  vagabondage  and  semi-lawlessness  ; 
the  coyote's  slouching  amble  and  uneasy  stealthiness  being 


2  MARUJA 

repeated  in  the  tramp's  shuffling  step  and  sidelong  glances. 
Both  were  young,  and  physically  vigorous,  but  both  dis- 
played the  same  vacillating  and  awkward  disinclination  to 
direct  effort.  They  continued  thus  half  a  mile  apart  un- 
conscious of  each  other,  until  the  superior  faculties  of  the 
brute  warned  him  of  the  contiguity  of  aggressive  civiliza- 
tion, and  he  cantered  off  suddenly  to  the  right,  fully  five 
minutes  before  the  barking  of  dogs  caused  the  man  to  make 
a  detour  to  the  left  to  avoid  entrance  upon  a  cultivated 
domain  that  lay  before  him. 

The  trail  he  took  led  to  one  of  the  scant  watercourses 
that  issued,  half  spent,  from  the  Canada,  to  fade  out  utterly 
on  the  hot  June  plain.  It  was  thickly  bordered  with  wil- 
lows and  alders,  that  made  an  arbored  and  feasible  path 
through  the  dense  woods  and  undergrowth.  He  continued 
along  it  as  if  aimlessly  ;  stopping  from  time  to  time  to  look 
at  different  objects  in  a  dull  mechanical  fashion,  as  if  rather 
to  prolong  his  useless  hours,  than  from  any  curious  instinct, 
and  to  occasionally  dip  in  the  unfrequent  pools  of  water 
the  few  crusts  of  bread  he  had  taken  from  his  pocket. 
Even  this  appeared  to  be  suggested  more  by  coincidence  of 
material  in  the  bread  and  water,  than  from  the  promptings 
of  hunger.  At  last  he  reached  a  cuplike  hollow  in  the 
hills  lined  with  wild  clover  and  thick  with  resinous  odors. 
Here  he  crept  under  a  manzanita  bush  and  disposed  himself 
to  sleep.  The  act  showed  he  was  already  familiar  with  the 
local  habits  of  his  class,  who  used  the  unfailing  dry  starlit 
nights  for  their  wanderings,  and  spent  the  hours  of  glaring 
sunshine  asleep  or  resting  in  some  wayside  shadow. 

Meanwhile  the  light  quickened,  and  gradually  disclosed 
the  form  and  outline  of  the  adjacent  domain.  An  avenue 
cut  through  a  parklike  wood,  carefully  cleared  of  the  un- 
dergrowth of  gigantic  ferns  peculiar  to  the  locality,  led  to 
the  entrance  of  the  Canada.  Here  began  a  vast  terrace  of 
lawn,  broken  up  by  enormous  bouquets  of  flower-beds  be- 


MARUJA  3 

wildering  in  color  and  profusion,  from  which  again  rose  the 
flowering  vines  and  trailing  shrubs  that  hid  pillars,  veranda, 
and  even  the  long  fagade  of  a  great  and  dominant  mansion. 
But  the  delicacy  of  floral  outlines  running  to  the  capitals 
of  columns  and  at  times  mounting  to  the  pediment  of  the 
roof,  the  opulence  of  flashing  color  or  the  massing  of  trop- 
ical foliage,  could  not  deprive  it  of  the  imperious  dignity 
of  size  and  space.  Much  of  this  was  due  to  the  fact  that 
the  original  casa  —  an  adobe  house  of  no  mean  pretensions, 
dating  back  to  the  early  Spanish  occupation  —  had  been 
kept  intact,  sheathed  in  a  shell  of  dark  red  wood,  and  still 
retaining  its  patio,  or  inner  courtyard,  surrounded  by  low 
galleries,  while  additions,  greater  in  extent  than  the  main 
building,  had  been  erected — not  as  wings  and  projections, 
but  massed  upon  it  on  either  side,  changing  its  rigid  square 
outlines  to  a  vague  parallelogram.  While  the  patio  retained 
the  Spanish  conception  of  al-fresco  seclusion,  a  vast  colon- 
nade of  veranda  on  the  southern  side  was  a  concession  to 
American  taste,  and  its  breadth  gave  that  depth  of  shadow 
to  the  inner  rooms  which  had  been  lost  in  the  thinner  shell 
of  the  new  erection.  Its  cloistered  gloom  was  lightened 
by  the  fires  of  cardinal  flowers  dropping  from  the  roof,  by 
the  yellow  sunshine  of  the  jessamine  creeping  up  the  col- 
umns, by  billows  of  heliotropes  breaking  over  its  base  as  a 
purple  sea.  Nowhere  else  did  the  opulence  of  this  climate 
of  blossoms  show  itself  as  vividly.  Even  the  Castilian 
roses,  that  grew  as  vines  along  the  east  front,  the  fuchsias, 
that  attained  the  dignity  of  trees,  in  the  patio,  or  the  four 
or  five  monster  passion-vines  that  bestarred  the  low  western 
wall,  and  told  over  and  over  again  their  mystic  story,  paled 
before  the  sensuous  glory  of  the  south  veranda. 

As  the  sun  arose,  that  part  of  the  quiet  house  first 
touched  by  its  light  seemed  to  waken.  A  few  lounging 
peons  and  servants  made  their  appearance  at  the  entrance 
of  the  patio,  occasionally  reinforced  by  an  earlier  life  from 


4  MAEUJA 

the  gardens  and  stables.  But  the  south  fagade  of  the 
building  had  not  apparently  gone  to  bed  at  all :  lights 
were  still  burning  dimly  in  the  large  ballroom  ;  a  tray 
with  glasses  stood  upon  the  veranda  near  one  of  the  open 
French  windows,  and  further  on,  a  half-shut  yellow  fan 
lay  like  a  fallen  leaf.  The  sound  of  carriage-wheels  on  the 
gravel  terrace  brought  wTith  it  voices  and  laughter  and  the 
swiftly  passing  vision  of  a  char-k-bancs  filled  with  muffled 
figures  bending  low  to  avoid  the  direct  advances  of  the  sun. 

As  the  carriage  rolled  away,  four  men  lounged  out  of 
a  window  on  the  veranda,  shading  their  eyes  against  the 
level  beams.  One  was  still  in  evening  dress,  and  one 
in  the  uniform  of  a  captain  of  artillery ;  the  others  had 
already  changed  their  gala  attire,  the  elder  of  the  party 
having  assumed  those  extravagant  tweeds  which  the  tour- 
ist from  Great  Britain  usually  offers  as  a  gentle  concession 
to  inferior  yet  more  florid  civilization.  Nevertheless,  he 
beamed  back  heartily  on  the  sun,  and  remarked,  in  a  plea- 
sant Scotch  accent,  that :  Did  they  know  it  was  very  ex- 
traordinary how  clear  the  morning  was,  so  free  from  clouds 
and  mist  and  fog  ?  The  young  man  in  evening  dress  flu- 
ently agreed  to  the  facts,  and  suggested,  in  idiomatic  French- 
English,  that  one  comprehended  that  the  bed  was  an  insult 
to  one's  higher  nature  and  an  ingratitude  to  their  gracious 
hostess,  who  had  spread  out  this  lovely  garden  and  walks 
for  their  pleasure ;  that  nothing  was  more  beautiful  than 
the  dew  sparkling  on  the  rose,  or  the  matin  song  of  the 
little  birds. 

The  other  young  man  here  felt  called  upon  to  point  out 
the  fact  that  there  was  no  dew  in  California,  and  that  the 
birds  did  not  sing  in  that  part  of  the  country.  The  for- 
eign young  gentleman  received  this  statement  with  pain 
and  astonishment  as  to  the  fact,  with  passionate  remorse  as 
to  his  own  ignorance.  But  still,  as  it  was  a  charming  day, 
would  not  his  gallant  friend,  the  Captain  here,  accept  the 


MARUJA  5 

challenge  of  the  brave  Englishman,  and  "  walk  him  "  for 
the  glory  of  his  flag  and  a  thousand  pounds  ? 

The  gallant  Captain,  unfortunately,  believed  that  if  he 
walked  out  in  his  uniform  he  would  suffer  some  delay  from 
being  interrogated  by  wayfarers  as  to  the  locality  of  the 
circus  he  would  be  pleasantly  supposed  to  represent,  even 
if  he  escaped  being  shot  as  a  rare  California  bird  by  the  for- 
eign sporting  contingent.  In  these  circumstances,  he  would 
simply  lounge  around  the  house  until  his  carriage  was  ready. 

Much  as  it  pained  him  to  withdraw  from  such  amusing 
companions,  the  foreign  young  gentleman  here  felt  that  he, 
too,  would  retire  for  the  present  to  change  his  garments, 
and  glided  back  through  the  window  at  the  same  moment 
that  the  young  officer  carelessly  stepped  from  the  veranda 
and  lounged  towards  the  shrubbery. 

"  They  've  been  watching  each  other  for  the  last  hour. 
I  wonder  what 's  up  ?  "  said  the  young  man  who  remained. 

The  remark,  without  being  confidential,  was  so  clearly  the 
first  sentence  of  natural  conversation,  that  the  Scotchman, 
although  relieved,  said,  "  Eh,  man  ?  "  a  little  cautiously. 

"  It 's  as  clear  as  this  sunshine  that  Captain  Carroll  and 
Gamier  are  each  particularly  anxious  to  know  what  the 
other  is  doing  or  intends  to  do  this  morning." 

"  Why  did  they  separate,  then  ?  "  asked  the  other. 

"  That 's  a  mere  blind.  Gamier  's  looking  through  his 
window  at  Carroll,  and  Carroll  is  aware  of  it.'7 

"  Eh !  "  said  the  Scotchman,  with  good-humored  curi- 
osity. "  Is  it  a  quarrel  ?  Nothing  serious,  I  hope.  No 
revolvers  and  bowie-knives,  man,  before  breakfast,  eh  ?  " 

"  No,"  laughed  the  younger  man.  "  No !  To  do 
Maruja  justice,  she  generally  makes  a  fellow  too  preposter- 
ous to  fight.  I  see  you  don't  understand.  You  're  a 
stranger  ;  I  'm  an  old  habitue  of  the  house  —  let  me  explain. 
Both  of  these  men  are  in  love  with  Maruja  ;  or,  worse  than 
that,  they  firmly  believe  her  to  be  in  love  with  them." 


6  MAKUJA 

"  But  Miss  Maruja  is  the  eldest  daughter  of  our  hostess, 
is  she  not  ?  "  said  the  Scotchman  j  "  and  I  understood  from 
one  of  the  young  ladies  that  the  Captain  had  come  down 
from  the  Fort  particularly  to  pay  court  to  Miss  Amita,  the 
beauty." 

"  Possibly.  But  that  would  n't  prevent  Maruja  from 
flirting  with  him." 

"  Eh  !  but  are  you  not  mistaken,  Mr.  Raymond  ?  Cer- 
tainly a  more  quiet,  modest,  and  demure  young  lassie  I 
never  met." 

"  That 's  because  she  sat  out  two  waltzes  with  you,  and 
let  you  do  the  talking,  while  she  simply  listened." 

The  elder  man's  fresh  color  for  an  instant  heightened, 
but  he  recovered  himself  with  a  good-humored  laugh. 
"  Likely  —  likely.  She  's  a  capital  good  listener." 

"  You  're  not  the  first  man  that  found  her  eloquent. 
Stanton,  your  banking  friend,  who  never  talks  of  anything 
but  mines  and  stocks,  says  she  's  the  only  woman  who  has 
any  conversation  ;  and  we  can  all  swear  that  she  never 
said  two  words  to  him  the  whole  time  she  sat  next  to  him 
at  dinner.  But  she  looked  at  him  as  if  she  had.  Why, 
man,  woman,  and  child  all  give  her  credit  for  any  grace 
that  pleases  themselves.  And  why  ?  Because  she 's  clever 
enough  not  to  practice  any  one  of  them  —  as  graces.  I 
don't  know  the  girl  that  claims  less  and  gets  more.  For 
instance,  you  don't  call  her  pretty  ?  " 

"  Wait  a  bit.  Ye  '11  not  get  on  so  fast,  my  young  friend  ; 
I  'm  not  prepared  to  say  that  she  's  not,"  returned  the 
Scotchman,  with  good-humored  yet  serious  caution. 

"  But  you  would  have  been  prepared  yesterday,  and 
have  said  it.  She  can  produce  the  effect  of  the  prettiest 
girl  here,  and  without  challenging  comparison.  Nobody 
thinks  of  her — everybody  experiences  her." 

"  You  're  an  enthusiast,  Mr.  Eaymond.  As  an  habitue 
of  the  house,  of  course,  you  "  — 


MAKUJA  7 

"  Oh,  my  time  came  with  the  rest,"  laughed  the  young 
man,  with  unaffected  frankness.  "It's  about  two  years 
ago  now." 

"  I  see  —  you  were  not  a  marrying  man." 

"  Pardon  me  —  it  was  because  I  was." 

The  Scotchman  looked  at  him  curiously. 

"  Maruja  is  an  heiress.     I  am  a  mining  engineer." 

"But,  my  dear  fellow,  I  thought  that  in  your  country  "  — 

"  In  my  country,  yes.  But  we  are  standing  on  a  bit  of 
old  Spain.  This  land  was  given  to  Dona  Maria  SaltonstalPs 
ancestors  by  Charles  V.  Look  around  you.  This  veranda, 
this  larger  shell  of  the  ancient  casa,  is  the  work  of  the  old 
Salem  whaling  captain  that  she  married,  and  is  all  that  is 
American  here.  But  the  heart  of  the  house,  as  well  as  the 
life  that  circles  around  the  old  patio,  is  Spanish.  The 
Dona's  family,  the  Estudillos  and  Guitierrez,  always  looked 
down  upon  this  alliance  with  the  Yankee  captain,  though  it 
brought  improvement  to  the  land,  and  increased  its  value 
forty-fold,  and  since  his.  death  ever  opposed  any  further 
foreign  intervention.  Not  that  that  would  weigh  much  with 
Maruja  if  she  took  a  fancy  to  any  one ;  Spanish  as  she  is 
throughout,  in  thought  and  grace  and  feature,  there  is  enough 
of  the  old  Salem  witches'  blood  in  her  to  defy  law  and 
authority  in  following  an  unhallowed  worship.  There  are 
no  sons ;  she  is  the  sole  heiress  of  the  house  and  estate  — 
though,  according  to  the  native  custom,  her  sisters  will  be 
separately  portioned  from  the  other  property,  which  is  very 
large." 

"  Then  the  Captain  might  still  make  a  pretty  penny  on 
Amita,"  said  the  Scotchman. 

"  If  he  did  not  risk  and  lose  it  all  on  Maruja.  There  is 
enough  of  the  old  Spanish  jealousy  in  the  blood  to  make 
even  the  gentle  Amita  never  forgive  his  momentary  defec- 
tion." 

Something  in  his  manner  made  the  Scotchman  think  that 


8  MARUJA 

Raymond  spoke  from  baleful  experience.  How  else  could 
this  attractive  young  fellow,  educated  abroad  and  a  rising 
man  in  his  profession,  have  failed  to  profit  by  his  contiguity 
to  such  advantages,  and  the  fact  of  his  being  an  evident 
favorite  ? 

"  But  with  this  opposition  on  the  part  of  the  relatives  to 
any  further  alliances  with  your  countrymen,  why  does  our 
hostess  expose  her  daughters  to  their  fascinating  influence  ?  " 
said  the  elder  man,  glancing  at  his  companion.  "  The  girls 
seem  to  have  the  usual  American  freedom." 

"  Perhaps  they  are  therefore  the  less  likely  to  give  it  up 
to  the  first  man  who  asks  them.  But  the  Spanish  duenna 
still  survives  in  the  family  —  the  more  awful  because 
invisible.  It 's  a  mysterious  fact  that  as  soon  as  a  fellow 
becomes  particularly  attached  to  any  one  —  except  Maruja 
—  he  receives  some  intimation  from  Pereo." 

"  What !  the  butler  ?  That  Indian-looking  fellow  ?  A 
servant  ?  " 

"Pardon  me  —  the  major-domo.  The  old  confidential 
servitor  who  stands  in  loco  parentis.  No  one  knows  what 
he  says.  If  the  victim  appeals  to  the  mistress,  she  is  indis- 
posed ;  you  know  she  has  such  bad  health.  If  in  his  mad- 
ness he  makes  a  confidante  of  Maruja,  that  finishes  him." 

"How?" 

"Why,  he  ends  by  transferring  his  young  affections  to 
her  —  with  the  usual  result." 

"  Then  you  don't  think  our  friend  the  Captain  has  had 
this  confidential  butler  ask  his  intentions  yet  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  it  will  be  necessary,"  said  the  other  dryly. 

"  Umph  !  Meantime,  the  Captain  has  just  vanished 
through  yon  shrubbery.  I  suppose  that  's  the  end  of  the 
mysterious  espionage  you  have  discovered.  No  !  De'il  take 
it !  but  there  7s  that  Frenchman  popping  out  of  the  myrtle 
bush.  How  did  the  fellow  get  there  ?  And,  bless  me ! 
here 's  our  lassie,  too  !  " 


She  halted  a  few  paces  off 


MARUJA  9 

"  Yes  !  "  said  Eaymond  in  a  changed  voice,  "  it  's 
Mamja  ! " 

She  had  approached  so  noiselessly  along  the  bank  that 
bordered  the  veranda,  gliding  from  pillar  to  pillar  as  she 
paused  before  each  to  search  for  some  particular  flower,  that 
both  men  felt  an  uneasy  consciousness.  But  she  betrayed 
no  indication  of  their  presence  by  look  or  gesture.  So 
absorbed  and  abstracted  she  seemed  that,  by  a  common 
instinct,  they  both  drew  nearer  the  window,  and  silently 
waited  for  her  to  pass  or  recognize  them. 

She  halted  a  few  paces  off  to  fasten  a  flower  in  her  girdle. 
A  small  youthful  figure,  in  a  pale  yellow  dress,  lacking  even 
the  maturity  of  womanly  outline.  The  full  oval  of  her 
face,  the  straight  line  of  her  back,  a  slight  boyishness  in  the 
contour  of  her  hips,  the  infantine  smallness  of  her  sandaled 
feet  and  narrow  hands,  were  all  suggestive  of  fresh,  inno- 
cent, amiable  youth  —  and  nothing  more. 

Forgetting  himself,  the  elder  man  mischievously  crushed 
his  companion  against  the  wall  in  mock  virtuous  indigna- 
tion. "  Eh,  sir,"  he  whispered,  with  an  accent  that  broad- 
ened with  his  feelings.  "Eh,  but  look  at  the  puir  wee 
lassie  !  Will  ye  no  be  ashamed  o'  yerself  for  putting  the 
tricks  of  a  Circe  on  sic  a  honest  gentle  bairn  ?  Why,  man, 
you  '11  be  seein'  the  sign  of  a  limb  of  Satan  in  a  bit  thing 
with  the  mother's  milk  not  yet  out  of  her !  She  a  flirt, 
speerin'  at  men,  with  that  modest  downcast  air  ?  I  'm 
ashamed  of  ye,  Mister  Eaymond.  She  's  only  thinking  of 
her  breakfast,  puir  thing,  and  not  of  yon  callant.  Another 
sacrilegious  word  and  I  '11  expose  you  to  her.  Have  ye  no 
pity  on  youth  and  innocence  ?  " 

"  Let  me  up,"  groaned  Eaymond  feebly,  "  and  I  '11  tell 
you  how  old  she  is.  Hush  —  she  ?s  looking." 

The  two  men  straightened  themselves.  She  had,  indeed, 
lifted  her  eyes  towards  the  window.  They  were  beautiful 
eyes,  and  charged  with  something  more  than  their  own 


10  MARUJA 

beauty.  With  a  deep  brunette  setting  even  to  the  darkened 
cornea,  the  pupils  were  blue  as  the  sky  above  them.  But 
they  were  lit  with  another  intelligence.  The  soul  of  the 
Salem  whaler  looked  out  of  the  passion-darkened  orbits  of 
the  mother,  and  was  resistless. 

She  smiled  recognition  of  the  two  men  with  sedate  girl- 
ishness  and  a  foreign  inclination  of  the  head  over  the 
flowers  she  was  holding.  Her  straight,  curveless  mouth 
became  suddenly  charming  with  the  parting  of  her  lips  over 
her  white  teeth,  and  left  the  impress  of  the  smile  in  a  light- 
ing of  the  whole  face  even  after  it  had  passed.  Then  she 
moved  away.  At  the  same  moment  Gamier  approached 
her. 

"  Come  away,  man,  and  have  our  walk/7  said  the  Scotch- 
man, seizing  Raymond's  arm.  "  We  '11  not  spoil  that  fel- 
low's sport." 

"  No  ;  but  she  will,  I  fear.  Look,  Mr.  Buchanan,  if  she 
has  n't  given  him  her  flowers  to  carry  to  the  house  while 
she  waits  here  for  the  Captain  !  " 

"  Come  away,  scoffer  !  "  said  Buchanan  good  humoredly, 
locking  his  arm  in  the  young  man's  and  dragging  him  from 
the  veranda  towards  the  avenue,  "  and  keep  your  observa- 
tions for  breakfast." 


CHAPTER  II 

IN  the  mean  time,  the  young  officer,  who  had  disappeared 
in  the  shrubbery,  whether  he  had  or  had  not  been  a  specta- 
tor of  the  scene,  exhibited  some  signs  of  agitation.  He 
walked  rapidly  on,  occasionally  switching  the  air  with  a 
wand  of  willow,  from  which  he  had  impatiently  plucked 
the  leaves,  through  an  alley  of  ceanothus,  until  he  reached 
a  little  thicket  of  evergreens,  which  seemed  to  oppose  his 
further  progress.  Turning  to  one  side,  however,  he  quickly 
found  an  entrance  to  a  labyrinthine  walk,  which  led  him  at 
last  to  an  open  space  and  a  rustic  summer-house  that  stood 
beneath  a  gnarled  and  venerable  pear-tree.  The  summer- 
house  was  a  quaint  stockade  of  dark  madrono  boughs 
thatched  with  redwood  bark,  strongly  suggestive  of  deeper 
woodland  shadow.  But  in  strange  contrast,  the  floor,  table^ 
and  benches  were  thickly  strewn  with  faded  rose  leaves, 
scattered  as  if  in  some  riotous  play  of  children.  Captain 
Carroll  brushed  them  aside  hurriedly  with  his  impatient 
foot,  glanced  around  hastily,  then  threw  himself  on  the 
rustic  bench  at  full  length,  and  twisted  his  mustache  be- 
tween his  nervous  fingers.  Then  he  rose  as  suddenly,  with 
a  few  white  petals  impaled  on  his  gilded  spurs,  and  stepped 
quickly  into  the  open  sunlight. 

He  must  have  been  mistaken  !  Everything  was  quiet 
around  him,  the  far-off  sound  of  wheels  in  the  avenue  came 
faintly,  but  nothing  more. 

His  eye  fell  upon  the  pear-tree,  and  even  in  his  preoccu- 
pation he  was  struck  with  the  signs  of  its  extraordinary 
age.  Twisted  out  of  all  proportion,  and  knotted  with  ex- 


12  MARUJA 

crescences,  it  was  supported  by  iron  bands  and  heavy  stakes, 
as  if  to  prop  up  its  senile  decay.  He  tried  to  interest  him- 
self in  the  various  initials  and  symbols  deeply  carved  in 
bark,  now  swollen  and  half  obliterated.  As  he  turned 
back  to  the  summer-house,  he  for  the  first  time  noticed  that 
the  ground  rose  behind  it  into  a  long  undulation,  on  the 
crest  of  which  the  same  singular  profusion  of  rose  leaves 
was  scattered.  It  struck  him  as  being  strangely  like  a 
gigantic  grave,  and  that  the  same  idea  had  occurred  to  the 
fantastic  dispenser  of  the  withered  flowers.  He  was  still 
looking  at  it,  when  a  rustle  in  the  undergrowth  made  his 
heart  beat  expectantly.  A  slinking  gray  shadow  crossed 
the  undulation  and  disappeared  in  the  thicket.  It  was  a 
coyote.  At  any  other  time  the  extraordinary  appearance 
of  this  vivid  impersonation  of  the  wilderness,  so  near  a 
centre  of  human  civilization  and  habitation,  would  have 
filled  him  with  wonder.  But  he  had  room  for  only  a  single 
thought  now.  Would  she  come  ? 

Five  minutes  passed.  He  no  longer  waited  in  the  sum- 
mer-house, but  paced  impatiently  before  the  entrance  to 
the  labyrinth.  Another  five  minutes.  He  was  deceived, 
undoubtedly.  She  and  her  sisters  were  probably  waiting 
for  him  and  laughing  at  him  on  the  lawn.  He  ground  his 
heel  into  the  clover,  and  threw  his  switch  into  the  thicket. 
Yet  he  would  give  her  one  —  only  one  moment  more. 

•'  Captain  Carroll !  " 

The  voice  had  been  and  was  to  him  the  sweetest  in  the 
world  ;  but  even  a  stranger  could  not  have  resisted  the 
spell  of  its  musical  inflection.  He  turned  quickly.  She 
was  advancing  towards  him  from  the  summer-house. 

"  Did  you  think  I  was  coming  that  way  —  where  every- 
body could  follow  me  ?  "  she  laughed  softly.  "  No ;  I 
came  through  the  thicket  over  there,"  indicating  the  direc- 
tion with  her  flexible  shoulder,  "  and  nearly  lost  my  slip- 
per and  my  eyes  —look  !  »  She  threw  back  the  insepara- 


MAKUJA  13 

ble  lace  shawl  from  her  blonde  head,  and  showed  a  spray 
of  myrtle  clinging  like  a  broken  wreath  to  her  forehead. 
The  young  officer  remained  gazing  at  her  silently. 

"  I  like  to  hear  you  speak  my  name/7  he  said,  with  a 
slight  hesitation  in  his  breath.  "  Say  it  again." 

"  Car-roll,  Car-roll,  Car-roll,"  she  murmured  gently  to  her- 
self two  or  three  times,  as  if  enjoying  her  own  native  trilling 
of  the  r's.  "  It  's  a  pretty  name.  It  sounds  like  a  song. 
Don  Carroll,  eh  !  El  Capitan  Don  Carroll." 

"  But  my  first  name  is  Henry,"  he  said  faintly. 

"  'Enry  —  that  's  not  so  good.  Don  Enrico  will  do.  But 
El  Capitan  Carroll  is  best  of  all.  I  must  have  it  always : 
El  Capitan  Carroll !  " 

"  Always  ?  "     He  colored  like  a  boy. 

"  Why  not  ?  "  He  was  confusedly  trying  to  look  through 
her  brown  lashes  ;  she  was  parrying  him  with  the  steel  of 
her  father's  glance.  "  Come  !  Well !  Captain  Carroll  ! 
It  was  not  to  tell  me  your  name  —  that  I  knew  already  was 
pretty  —  Car-roll !  "  she  murmured  again,  caressing  him  with 
her  lashes ;  "it  was  not  for  this  that  you  asked  me  to  meet 
you  face  to  face  in  this  —  cold  "  —  she  made  a  movement 
of  drawing  her  lace  over  her  shoulders  —  "  cold  daylight. 
That  belonged  to  the  lights  and  the  dance  and  the  music  of  last 
night.  It  is  not  for  this  you  expect  me  to  leave  my  guests, 
to  run  away  from  Monsieur  Gamier,  who  pays  compliments, 
but  whose  name  is  not  pretty  —  from  Mr.  Raymond,  who 
talks  of  me  when  he  can't  talk  to  me.  They  will  say  This 
Captain  Carroll  could  say  all  that  before  them." 

"  But  if  they  knew,"  said  the  young  officer,  drawing  closer 
to  her  with  a  paling  face  but  brightening  eyes,  "  if  they 
knew  I  had  anything  else  to  say,  Miss  Saltonstall  —  some- 
thing —  pardon  me  —  did  I  hurt  your  hand  ?  —  something 
for  her  alone  —  is  there  one  of  them  that  would  have  the 
right  to  object  ?  Do  not  think  me  foolish,  Miss  Saltonstall 
—  but  —  I  beg  —  I  implore  you  to  tell  me  before  I  say  more." 


14  MARUJA 

tf  Who  would  have  a  right  ?  "  said  Maruja,  withdrawing 
her  hand  but  not  her  dangerous  eyes.  "  Who  would  dare 
forbid  you  talking  to  me  of  my  sister  ?  I  have  told  you 
that  Amita  is  free  —  as  we  all  are." 

Captain  Carroll  fell  back  a  few  steps  and  gazed  at  her  with 
a  troubled  face.  "  Is  it  possible  that  you  have  misunderstood, 
Miss  Saltonstall  ?  "  he  faltered.  "  Do  you  still  think  it  is 
Amita  that  I "  —  He  stopped,  and  added  passionately,  "  Do 
you  remember  what  I  told  you  ?  —  have  you  forgotten  last 
night  ?  » 

"  Last  night  was  —  last  night  !  "  said  Maruja,  slightly 
lifting  her  shoulders.  "  One  makes  love  at  night  —  one 
marries  in  daylight.  In  the  music,  in  the  flowers,  in  the 
moonlight,  one  says  everything ;  in  the  morning  one  has 
breakfast  —  when  one  is  not  asked  to  have  councils  of  war 
with  captains  and  commandantes.  You  would  speak  of  my 
sister,  Captain  Car-roll  —  go  on.  Dona  Amita  Carroll  sounds 
very,  very  pretty.  I  shall  not  object."  She  held  out  both 
her  hands  to  him,  threw  her  head  back,  and  smiled. 

He  seized  her  hands  passionately.  "  No,  no  !  you  shall 
hear  me  —  you  shall  understand  me.  I  love  you,  Maruja 
—  you,  and  you  alone.  God  knows  I  would  not  help  it  if 
I  could.  Hear  me.  I  will  be  calm.  No  one  can  hear  us 
where  we  stand.  I  am  not  mad.  I  am  not  a  traitor !  I 
frankly  admired  your  sister.  I  came  here  to  see  her.  Be- 
yond that,  I  swear  to  you,  I  am  guiltless  to  her  —  to  you. 
Even  she  knows  no  more  of  me  than  that.  I  saw  you,  Ma- 
ruja. From  that  moment  I  have  thought  of  nothing  — 
dreamed  of  nothing  else." 

"That  is  —  three,  four,  five  days  and  one  afternoon  ago! 
You  see  I  remember.  And  now  you  want  —  what  ?  " 

"  To  let  me  love  you,  and  you  only.  To  let  me  be  with 
you.  To  let  me  win  you  in  time,  as  you  should  be  won. 
I  am  not  mad,  though  I  am  desperate.  I  know  what  is  due 
to  your  station  and  mine  —  even  while  I  dare  to  say  I  love 
you.  Let  me  hope,  Maruja,  I  only  ask  to  hope." 


MARUJA  15 

She  looked  at  him  until  she  had  absorbed  all  the  burn- 
ing fever  of  his  eyes,  until  her  ears  tingled  with  his  passion- 
ate voice,  and  then  —  she  shook  her  head. 

"  It  cannot  be,  Carroll  —  no  !  never  !  " 

He  drew  himself  up  under  the  blow  with  such  simple  and 
manly  dignity  that  her  eyes  dropped  for  the  moment. 
"  There  is  another,  then  ?  "  he  said  sadly. 

"  There  is  no  one  I  care  for  better  than  you.  No  !  Do 
not  be  foolish.  Let  me  go.  I  tell  you  that  because  you 
can  be  nothing  to  me  —  you  understand,  to  me.  To  my 
sister  Amita,  yes." 

The  young  soldier  raised  his  head  coldly.  "  I  have 
pressed  you  hard,  Miss  Saltonstall  —  too  hard,  I  know,  for  a 
man  who  has  already  had  his  answer  ;  but  I  did  not  deserve 
this.  Good-by." 

"  Stop/'  she  said  gently.  "  I  meant  not  to  hurt  you, 
Captain  Carroll.  If  I  had,  it  is  not  thus  I  would  have 
done.  I  need  not  have  met  you  here.  Would  you  have 
loved  me  the  less  if  I  had  avoided  this  meeting  ?  " 

He  could  not  reply.  In  the  depths  of  his  miserable 
heart,  he  knew  that  he  would  have  loved  her  the  same. 

"Come,"  she  said,  laying  her  hand  softly  on  his  arm, 
"  do  not  be  angry  with  me  for  putting  you  back  only  five 
days  to  where  you  were  when  you  first  entered  our  house. 
Five  days  is  not  much  of  happiness  or  sorrow  to  forget,  is  it, 
Carroll  —  Captain  Carroll  ?  "  Her  voice  died  away  in  a 
faint  sigh.  "  Do  not  be  angry  with  me,  if  —  knowing  you 
could  be  nothing  more  —  I  wanted  you  to  love  my  sister, 
and  my  sister  to  love  you.  We  should  have  been  good 
friends  —  such  good  friends." 

"  Why  do  you  say,  '  Knowing  it  could  be  nothing 
more  '  ?  "  said  Carroll,  grasping  her  hand  suddenly.  "  In 
the  name  of  Heaven,  tell  me  what  you  mean  !  " 

"  I  mean  I  cannot  marry  unless  I  marry  one  of  my 
mother's  race.  That  is  my  mother's  wish,  and  the  will 


16  MAKUJA 

of  her  relations.  You  are  an  American,  not  of  Spanish 
blood." 

"  But  surely  this  is  not  your  determination  ?  " 

She  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "  What  would  you  ?  It 
is  the  determination  of  my  people." 

"  But  knowing  this "  —  he  stopped  ;  the  quick  blood 
rose  to  his  face. 

"  Go  on,  Captain  Carroll.  You  would  say,  Knowing  this, 
why  did  I  not  warn  you  ?  "Why  did  I  not  say  to  you 
when  we  first  met,  '  You  have  come  to  address  my  sister ; 
do  not  fall  in  love  with  me  —  I  cannot  marry  a  foreigner.7  9i 

"  You  are  cruel,  Maruja.  But,  if  that  is  all,  surely  this 
prejudice  can  be  removed  ?  Why,  ypur  mother  married  a 
foreigner — an  American." 

"Perhaps  that  is  why,"  said  the  girl  quietly.  She 
cast  down  her  long  lashes,  and  with  the  point  of  her  satin 
slipper  smoothed  out  the  soft  leaves  of  the  clover  at  her 
feet.  "  Listen ;  shall  I  tell  you  the  story  of  our  house  ? 
Stop !  some  one  is  coming.  Don't  move  ;  remain  as  you 
are.  If  you  care  for  me,  Carroll,  collect  yourself,  and 
don't  let  that  man  think  he  has  found  us  ridiculous."  Her 
voice  changed  from  its  tone  of  slight  caressing  pleading  to 
one  of  suppressed  pride.  "  He  will  not  laugh  much,  Cap- 
tain Carroll ;  truly,  no." 

The  figure  of  Gamier,  bright,  self-possessed,  courteous, 
appeared  at  the  opening  of  the  labyrinth.  Too  well-bred 
to  suggest,  even  in  complimentary  raillery,  a  possible  senti- 
mental situation,  his  politeness  went  further.  It  was  so 
kind  in  them  to  guide  an  awkward  stranger  by  their  voices 
to  the  places  where  he  could  not  stupidly  intrude ! 

"  You  are  just  in  time  to  interrupt  or  to  hear  a  story 
that  I  have  been  threatening  to  tell,"  she  said  composedly ; 
"  an  old  Spanish  legend  of  this  house.  You  are  in  the 
majority  now,  you  two,  and  can  stop  me  if  you  choose. 
Thank  you.  I  warn  you  it  is  stupid  j  it  is  n't  new  ;  but 


MARUJA  17 

it  has  the  excuse  of  being  suggested  by  this  very  spot." 
She  cast  a  quick  look  of  subtle  meaning  at  Carroll,  and 
throughout  her  recital  appealed  more  directly  to  him,  in  a 
manner  delicately  yet  sufficiently  marked  to  partly  soothe 
his  troubled  spirit. 

"  Far  back,  in  the  very  old  times,  Caballeros,"  said 
Maruja,  standing  by  the  table  in  mock  solemnity,  and  rap- 
ping upon  it  with  her  fan,  "  this  place  was  the  home  of 
the  coyote.  Big  and  little,  father  and  mother,  Senor  and 
Senora  Coyotes,  and  the  little  muchacho  coyotes  had  their 
home  in  the  dark  canada,  and  came  out  over  these  fields, 
yellow  with  wild  oats  and  red  with  poppies,  to  seek  their 
prey.  They  were  happy.  For  why  ?  They  were  the 
first;  they  had  no  history,  you  comprehend,  no  tradition. 
They  married  as  they  liked  "  (with  a  glance  at  Carroll), 
"  nobody  objected ;  they  increased  and  multiplied.  But 
the  plains  were  fertile  ;  the  game  was  plentiful ;  it  was 
not  fit  that  it  should  be  for  the  beasts  alone.  And  so,  in 
the  course  of  time,  an  Indian  chief,  a  heathen,  Koorotora, 
built  his  wigwam  here." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Gamier  in  apparent  distress, 
"  but  I  caught  the  gentleman's  name  imperfectly." 

Fully  aware  that  the  questioner  only  wished  to  hear 
again  her  musical  enunciation  of  the  consonants,  she  re- 
peated "  Koorotora,"  with  an  apologetic  glance  at  Carroll, 
and  went  on.  "  This  gentleman  had  no  history  or  tradi- 
tion to  bother  him,  either ;  whatever  Senor  Coyote  thought 
of  the  matter,  he  contented  himself  with  robbing  Senor 
Koorotora's  wigwam  when  he  could,  and  skulking  around 
the  Indian's  camp  at  night.  The  old  chief  prospered,  and 
made  many  journeys  round  the  country,  but  always  kept 
his  camp  here.  This  lasted  until  the  time  when  the  holy 
Fathers  came  from  the  South,  and  Portala,  as  you  have  all 
read,  uplifted  the  wooden  Cross  on  the  seacoast  over  there, 
and  left  it  for  the  heathens  to  wonder  at.  Koorotora  saw 


i8  MARUJA 

it  on  one  of  his  journeys,  and  came  back  to  the  Canada 
full  of  this  wonder.  Now,  Koorotora  had  a  wife." 

"Ah,  we  shall  commence  now.  We  are  at  the  begin- 
ning. This  is  better  than  Senora  Coyota,"  said  Gamier 
cheerfully. 

"  Naturally,  she  was  anxious  to  see  the  wonderful  object. 
She  saw  it,  and  she  saw  the  holy  Fathers,  and  they  con- 
verted her  against  the  superstitious  heathenish  wishes  of 
her  husband.  And  more  than  that,  they  came  here  "  — 

"  And  converted  the  land  also  ;  is  it  not  so  ?  It  was  a 
lovely  site  for  a  mission/'  interpolated  Gamier  politely. 

"  They  built  a  mission  and  brought  as  many  of  Kooro- 
tora's  people  as  they  could  into  the  sacred  fold.  They 
brought  them  in  in  a  queer  fashion  sometimes,  it  is  said ; 
dragoons  from  the  Presidio,  Captain  Carroll,  lassoing  them 
and  bringing  them  in  at  the  tails  of  their  horses.  All 
except  Koorotora.  He  defied  them ;  he  cursed  them  and 
his  wife  in  his  wicked  heathenish  fashion,  and  said  that 
they  too  should  lose  the  mission  through  the  treachery  of 
some  woman,  and  that  the  coyote  should  yet  prowl  through 
the  ruined  walls  of  the  church.  The  holy  Fathers  pitied 
the  wicked  man  —  and  built  themselves  a  lovely  garden. 
Look  at  that  pear-tree  !  There  is  all  that  is  left  of  it !  " 

She  turned  with  a  mock  heroic  gesture,  and  pointed  her 
fan  to  the  pear-tree.  Gamier  lifted  his  hands  in  equally 
simulated  wonder.  A  sudden  recollection  of  the  coyote  of 
the  morning  recurred  to  Carroll  uneasily.  "  And  the  In- 
dians," he  said,  with  an  effort  to  shake  off  the  feeling; 
"  they,  too,  have  vanished." 

"  All  that  remained  of  them  is  in  yonder  mound.  It  is 
the  grave  of  the  chief  and  his  people.  He  never  lived  to 
see  the  fulfillment  of  his  prophecy.  For  it  was  a  year 
after  his  death  that  our  ancestor,  Manuel  Guitierrez,  came 
from  old  Spain  to  the  Presidio  with  a  grant  of  twenty 
leagues  to  settle  where  he  chose.  Dona  Maria  Guitierrez 


MARUJA  19 

took  a  fancy  to  the  Canada.  But  it  was  a  site  already  in 
possession  of  the  Holy  Church.  One  night,  through  treach- 
ery, it  was  said,  the  guards  were  withdrawn  and  the  Indians 
entered  the  mission,  slaughtered  the  lay  brethren,  and  drove 
away  the  priests.  The  Commandant  at  the  Presidio  re- 
took the  place  from  the  heathen,  but  on  representation  to 
the  Governor  that  it  was  indefensible  for  the  peaceful 
Fathers  without  a  large  military  guard,  the  official  ordered 
the  removal  of  the  mission  to  Santa  Cruz,  and  Don  Manuel 
settled  his  twenty  leagues  grant  in  the  canada.  Whether 
he  or  Dona  Maria  had  anything  to  do  with  the  Indian  up- 
rising, no  one  knows ;  but  Father  Pedro  never  forgave 
them.  He  is  said  to  have  declared  at  the  foot  of  the  altar 
that  the  curse  of  the  Church  was  on  the  land,  and  that  it 
should  always  pass  into  the  hands  of  the  stranger." 

"  And  that  was  long  ago,  and  the  property  is  still  in  the 
family,"  said  Carroll  hurriedly,  answering  Maruja's  eyes. 

"  In  the  last  hundred  years  there  have  been  no  male 
heirs,"  continued  Maruja,  still  regarding  Carroll.  "  When 
my  mother,  who  was  the  eldest  daughter,  married  Don 
Jose  Saltonstall  against  the  wishes  of  the  family,  it  was 
said  that  the  curse  would  fall.  Sure  enough,  Caballeros,  it 
was  that  year  that  the  forged  grants  of  Micheltorrena  were 
discovered  ;  and  in  our  lawsuit  your  government,  Captain, 
handed  over  ten  leagues  of  the  llano  land  to  the  Dr.  West, 
our  neighbor." 

"  Ah,  the  gray-headed  gentleman  who  lunched  here  the 
other  day  ?  You  are  friends,  then  ?  You  bear  no  malice  ?  " 
said  Gamier. 

"  What  would  you  ?  "  said  Maruja,  with  a  slight  shrug 
of  her  shoulders.  "  He  paid  his  money  to  the  forger. 
Your  corregidores  upheld  him,  and  said  it  was  no  forgery," 
she  continued,  to  Carroll. 

In  spite  of  the  implied  reproach,  Carroll  felt  relieved. 
He  began  to  be  impatient  of  Gamier' s  presence,  and  longed 


20  MARUJA 

to  renew  his  suit.  Perhaps  his  face  showed  something  of 
this,  for  Maruja  added,  with  mock  demureness,  "  It 's  always 
dreadful  to  be  the  eldest  sister  ;  but  think  what  it  is  to  be 
in  the  direct  line  of  a  curse  !  Now,  there  's  Amita  — she  's 
free  to  do  as  she  likes,  with  no  family  responsibility ;  while 
poor  me  !  "  She  dropped  her  eyes,  but  not  until  they  had 
again  sought  and  half  reproved  the  brightening  eyes  of 
Carroll. 

"  But/7  said  Gamier,  with  a  sudden  change  from  his  easy 
security  and  courteous  indifference  to  an  almost  harsh  impa- 
tience, "you  do  not  mean  to  say,  Mademoiselle,  that  you  have 
the  least  belief  in  this  rubbish,  this  ridiculous  canard  ?  " 

Maruja's  straight  mouth  quickly  tightened  over  her 
teeth.  She  shot  a  significant  glance  at  Carroll,  but  in- 
stantly resumed  her  former  manner. 

"  It  matters  little  what  a  foolish  girl  like  myself  believes. 
The  rest  of  the  family,  even  the  servants  and  children,  all 
believe  it.  It  is  a  part  of  their  religion.  Look  at  these 
flowers  around  the  pear-tree,  and  scattered  on  that  Indian 
mound.  They  regularly  find  their  way  there  on  saints' 
days  and  festas.  They  are  not  rubbish,  Monsieur  Gamier ; 
they  are  propitiatory  sacrifices.  Pereo  would  believe  that  a 
temblor  would  swallow  up  the  casa  if  we  should  ever  forego 
these  customary  rites.  Is  it  a  mere  absurdity  that  forced 
my  father  to  build  these  modern  additions  around  the  heart 
of  the  old  adobe  house,  leaving  it  untouched,  so  that  the 
curse  might  not  be  fulfilled  even  by  implication  ?  " 

She  had  assumed  an  air  of  such  pretty  earnestness  and 
passion ;  her  satin  face  was  illuminated  as  by  some  softly 
sensuous  light  within,  more  bewildering  than  mere  color, 
that  Gamier,  all  devoted  eyes  and  courteous  blandishment, 
broke  out :  "  But  this  curse  must  fall  harmlessly  before  the 
incarnation  of  blessing  ;  Miss  Saltonstall  has  no  more  to 
fear  than  the  angels.  She  is  the  one  predestined  through 
her  charm,  through  her  goodness,  to  lift  it  forever." 


MARUJA  21 

Carroll  could  not  have  helped  echoing  the  aspirations  of 
his  rival,  had  not  the  next  words  of  his  mistress  thrilled 
him  with  superstitious  terror. 

"  A  thousand  thanks,  Senor.  Who  knows  ?  But  I 
shall  have  warning  when  it  falls.  A  day  or  two  before 
the  awful  invader  arrives,  a  coyote  suddenly  appears  in  broad 
daylight  mysteriously,  near  the  casa.  This  midnight  ma- 
rauder, now  banished  to  the  thickest  canon,  comes  again  to 
prowl  around  the  home  of  his  ancestors.  Caramba !  Senor 
Captain,  what  are  you  staring  at  ?  You  frighten  me  ! 
Stop  it,  I  say  !  " 

She  had  turned  upon  him,  stamping  her  little  foot  in 
quite  a  frightened,  childlike  way. 

"Nothing,"  laughed  Carroll,  the  quick  blood  returning 
to  his  cheek.  "  But  you  must  not  be  angry  with  one  for 
being  quite  carried  away  with  your  dramatic  intensity.  By 
Jove  !  I  thought  I  could  see  the  whole  thing  while  you 
were  speaking  —  the  old  Indian,  the  priest,  and  the 
coyote !  "  His  eyes  sparkled.  The  wild  thought  had 
occurred  to  him  that  perhaps,  in  spite  of  himself,  he  was 
the  young  woman's  predestined  fate  ;  and  in  the  very  sel- 
fishness of  his  passion  he  smiled  at  the  mere  material  loss 
of  lands  and  prestige  that  would  follow  it.  "  Then  the 
coyote  has  always  preceded  some  change  in  the  family  for- 
tunes ?  "  he  asked  boldly. 

"  On  my  mother's  wedding-day,"  said  Maurja  in  a  lower 
voice,  "after  the  party  had  come  from  church  to  supper  in 
the  casa,  my  father  asked,  '  What  dog  is  that  under  the 
table  ?  '  When  they  lifted  the  cloth  to  look,  a  coyote 
rushed  from  the  very  midst  of  the  guests  and  dashed  out 
across  the  patio.  No  one  knew  how  or  when  he  entered." 

"  Heaven  grant  that  we  do  not  find  he  has  eaten  our 
breakfast !  "  said  Gamier  gayly,  "  for  I  judge  it  is  waiting 
us.  I  hear  your  sister's  voice  among  the  others  crossing 
the  lawn.  Shall  we  tear  ourselves  away  from  the  tombs  of 
our  ancestors,  and  join  them  ?  " 


22  MARUJA 

"  Not  as  I  am  looking  now,  thank  you,"  said  Maruja, 
throwing  the  lace  over  her  head.  "  I  shall  not  submit  my- 
self to  a  comparison  of  their  fresher  faces  and  toilets  by  you 
two  gentlemen.  Go  you  both  and  join  them.  I  shall  wait 
and  say  an  Ave  for  the  soul  of  Koorotora,  and  slip  back 
alone  the  way  I  came." 

She  had  steadily  evaded  the  pleading  glance  of  Carroll, 
and  though  her  bright  face  and  unblemished  toilet  showed 
the  inefficiency  of  her  excuse,  it  was  evident  that  her  wish 
to  be  alone  was  genuine  and  without  coquetry.  They  could 
only  lift  their  hats  and  turn  regretfully  away. 

As  the  red  cap  of  the  young  officer  disappeared  amidst 
the  evergreen  foliage,  the  young  woman  uttered  a  faint 
sigh,  which  she  repeated  a  moment  after  as  a  slight  nervous 
yawn.  Then  she  opened  and  shut  her  fan  once  or  twice, 
striking  the  sticks  against  her  little  pale  palm,  and  then, 
gathering  the  lace  under  her  oval  chin  with  one  hand,  and 
catching  her  fan  and  skirt  with  the  other,  bent  her  head 
and  dipped  into  the  bushes.  She  came  out  on  the  other 
side  near  a  low  fence,  that  separated  the  park  from  a  narrow 
lane  which  communicated  with  the  highroad  beyond.  As 
she  neared  the  fence,  a  slinking  figure  limped  along  the 
lane  before  her.  It  was  the  tramp  of  the  early  morning. 

They  raised  their  heads  at  the  same  moment  and  their  eyes 
met.  The  tramp,  in  that  clearer  light,  showed  a  spare,  but 
bent  figure,  roughly  clad  in  a  miner's  shirt  and  canvas 
trousers,  splashed  and  streaked  with  soil,  and  half  hidden  in 
a  ragged  blue  cast-off  army  overcoat  lazily  hanging  from  one 
shoulder.  His  thin  sunburnt  face  was  not  without  a  cer- 
tain sullen,  suspicious  intelligence,  and  a  look  of  half-sneer- 
ing defiance.  He  stopped,  as  a  startled,  surly  animal  might 
have  stopped  at  some  unusual  object,  but  did  not  exhibit 
any  other  discomposure.  Maruja  stopped  at  the  same 
moment  on  her  side  of  the  fence. 

The  tramp  looked  at  her  deliberately,  and  then  slowly 


MARUJA  23 

lowered  his  eyes.  "  I  'm  looking  for  the  San  Jose  road, 
hereabouts.  Ye  don't  happen  to  know  it  ? "  he  said, 
addressing  himself  to  the  top  of  the  fence. 

It  had  been  said  that  it  was  not  Maruja's  way  to  en- 
counter man,  woman,  or  child,  old  or  young,  without  an 
attempt  at  subjugation.  Strong  in  her  power  and  salient 
with  fascination,  she  leaned  gently  over  the  fence,  and  with 
the  fan  raised  to  her  delicate  ear,  made  him  repeat  his  ques- 
tion under  the  soft  fire  of  her  fringed  eyes.  He  did  so,  but 
incompletely,  and  with  querulous  laziness. 

"Lookin' — for  —  San  Josd  road  —  hereabouts." 

"  The  road  to  San  Jose,"  said  Maruja,  with  gentle  slow- 
ness, as  if  not  unwilling  to  protract  the  conversation,  "  is 
about  two  miles  from  here.  It  is  the  highroad  to  the  left 
fronting  the  plain.  There  is  another  way,  if  "  — 

"  Don't  want  it !     Mornin'." 

He  dropped  his  head  suddenly  forward,  and  limped  away 
in  the  sunlight. 


CHAPTER  III 

BREAKFAST,  usually  a  movable  feast  at  La  Mision  Per- 
dida,  had  been  prolonged  until  past  midday ;  the  last  of 
the  dance  guests  had  flown,  and  the  home  party  —  with  the 
exception  of  Captain  Carroll,  who  had  returned  to  duty  at 
his  distant  post  —  were  dispersing ;  some  as  riding  caval- 
cades to  neighboring  points  of  interest ;  some  to  visit  certain 
notable  mansions  which  the  wealth  of  a  rapid  civilization 
had  erected  in  that  fertile  valley.  One  of  these  in  particu- 
lar, the  work  of  a  breathless  millionaire,  was  famous  for  the 
spontaneity  of  its  growth  and  the  reckless  extravagance  of 
its  appointments. 

"  If  you  go  to  Aladdin's  Palace,"  said  Maruja,  from  the 
top  step  of  the  south  porch,  to  a  wagonette  of  guests, 
"  after  you  ?ve  seen  the  stables  with  mahogany  fittings  for 
one  hundred  horses,  ask  Aladdin  to  show  you  the  enchanted 
chamber,  inlaid  with  California  woods  and  paved  with  gold 
quartz." 

"  We  would  have  a  better  chance  if  the  Princess  of  China 
would  only  go  with  us,"  pleaded  Gamier  gallantly. 

"  The  Princess  will  stay  at  home  with  her  mother,  like  a 
good  girl,"  returned  Maruja  demurely. 

"  A  bad  shot  of  Garnier's  this  time,"  whispered  Kay- 
mond  to  Buchanan,  as  the  vehicle  rolled  away  with  them. 
"  The  Princess  is  not  likely  to  visit  Aladdin  again." 

"  Why  ?  " 

"  The  last  time  she  was  there,  Aladdin  was  a  little  too 
Persian  in  his  extravagance ;  offered  her  his  house,  stables, 
and  himself." 


MARUJA  25 

"  Not  a  bad  catch ;  why,  he  's  worth  two  millions,  I  hear." 

"  Yes  ;   but  his  wife  is  as  extravagant  as  himself." 

"  His  wife,  eh  ?  Ah,  are  you  serious  ;  or  must  you  say 
something  derogatory  of  the  lassie's  admirers  too  ? "  said 
Buchanan,  playfully  threatening  him  with  his  cane.  "  An- 
other word,  and  I  '11  throw  you  from  the  wagon." 

After  their  departure,  the  outer  shell  of  the  great  house 
fell  into  a  profound  silence,  so  hollow  and  deserted  that  one 
might  have  thought  the  curse  of  Koorotora  had  already 
descended  upon  it.  Dead  leaves  of  roses  and  fallen  blossoms 
from  the  long  line  of  vine-wreathed  columns  lay  thick  on 
the  empty  stretch  of  brown  veranda,  or  rustled  and  crept 
against  the  sides  of  the  house,  where  the  regular  breath  of 
the  afternoon  " trades"  began  to  arise.  A  few  cardinal 
flowers  fell  like  drops  of  blood  before  the  open  windows  of 
the  vacant  ballroom,  in  which  the  step  of  a  solitary  servant 
echoed  faintly.  It  was  Maruja's  maid,  bringing  a  note  to 
her  young  mistress,  who,  in  a  flounced  morning  dress,  leaned 
against  the  window.  Maruja  took  it,  glanced  at  it  quietly, 
folded  it  in  a  long  fold,  and  put  it  openly  in  her  belt. 
Captain  Carroll,  from  whom  it  came,  might  have  carried  one 
of  his  dispatches  as  methodically.  The  waiting-woman 
noticed  the  act,  and  was  moved  to  suggest  some  more  excit- 
ing confidences. 

"  The  Dona  Maruja  has,  without  doubt,  noticed  the  bou- 
quet on  her  dressing-room  table  from  the  Sefior  Gamier  ?  " 

The  Dona  Maruja  had.  The  Dona  Maruja  had  also  learned 
with  pain  that,  bribed  by  Judas-like  coin,  Faquita  had 
betrayed  the  secrets  of  her  wardrobe  to  the  extent  of 
furnishing  a  ribbon  from  a  certain  yellow  dress  to  the  Senor 
Buchanan  to  match  with  a  Chinese  fan.  This  was  intoler- 
able ! 

Faquita  writhed  in  remorse,  and  averred  that  through  this 
solitary  act  she  had  dishonored  her  family. 

The  Dona  Maruja,  however,  since  it  was  so,  felt  that  the 


26  MARUJA 

only  thing  left  to  do  was  to  give  her  the  polluted  dress,  and 
trust  that  the  Devil  might  not  fly  away  with  her. 

Leaving  the  perfectly  consoled  Faquita,  Maruja  crossed 
the  large  hall,  and,  opening  a  small  door,  entered  a  dark 
passage  through  the  thick  adobe  wall  of  the  old  casa,  and 
apparently  left  the  present  century  behind  her.  A  peaceful 
atmosphere  of  the  past  surrounded  her  not  only  in  the  low 
vaulted  halls  terminating  in  grilles  or  barred  windows ;  not 
only  in  the  square  chambers  whose  dark,  rich,  but  scanty 
furniture  was  only  a  foil  to  the  central  elegance  of  the  lace- 
bordered  bed  and  pillows ;  but  in  a  certain  mysterious  odor 
of  dried  and  desiccated  religious  respectability  that  penetrated 
everywhere,  and  made  the  grateful  twilight  redolent  of  the 
generations  of  forgotten  Guitierrez  who  had  quietly  exhaled 
in  the  old  house.  A  mist  as  of  incense  and  flowers  that  had 
lost  their  first  bloom  veiled  the  vista  of  the  long  corridor, 
and  made  the  staring  blue  sky,  seen  through  narrow  windows 
and  loopholes,  glitter  like  mirrors  let  into  the  walls.  The 
chamber  assigned  to  the  young  ladies  seemed  half  oratory 
and  half  sleeping-room,  with  a  strange  mingling  of  the  con- 
vent in  the  bare  white  walls,  hung  only  with  crucifixes  and 
religious  emblems,  and  of  the  seraglio  in  the  glimpses  of 
lazy  figures,  reclining  in  the  deshabille  of  short  silken  saya, 
low  camisa,  and  dropping  slippers.  In  a  broad  angle  of  the 
corridor  giving  upon  the  patio,  its  balustrade  hung  with 
brightly  colored  serapes  and  shawls,  surrounded  by  voluble 
domestics  and  relations,  the  mistress  of  the  casa  half  reclined 
in  a  hammock  and  gave  her  noonday  audience. 

Maruja  pushed  her  way  through  the  clustered  stools  and 
cushions  to  her  mother's  side,  kissed  her  on  the  forehead, 
and  then  lightly  perched  herself  like  a  white  dove  on  the 
railing.  Mrs.  Saltonstall,  a  dark,  corpulent  woman,  redeemed 
only  from  coarseness  by  a  certain  softness  of  expression  and 
refinement  of  gesture,  raised  her  heavy  brown  eyes  to  her 
daughter's  face. 


MARUJA  27 

"  You  have  not  been  to  bed,  Mara  ?  » 

"No,  dear.     Do  I  look  it?" 

"  You  must  lie  down  presently.  They  tell  me  that  Cap- 
tain Carroll  returned  suddenly  this  morning." 

"  Do  you  care  ?  " 

"  Who  knows  ?  Amita  does  not  seem  to  fancy  Jose, 
Estdban,  Jorge,  or  any  of  her  cousins.  She  won't  look  at 
Juan  Estudillo.  The  Captain  is  not  bad.  He  is  of  the 
government.  He  is  "  — 

"  Not  more  than  ten  leagues  from  here,"  said  Maruja, 
playing  with  the  Captain's  note  in  her  belt.  "  You  can 
send  for  him,  dear  little  mother.  He  will  be  glad." 

"  You  will  ever  talk  lightly  —  like  your  father  !  She 
was  not  then  grieved  —  our  Amita  —  eh  ?  " 

"  She  and  Dorotea  and  the  two  Wilsons  went  off  with 
Raymond  and  your  Scotch  friend  in  the  wagonette.  She 
did  not  cry  —  to  Raymond." 

"  Good,"  said  Mrs.  Saltonstall,  leaning  back  in  her  ham- 
mock. "  Raymond  is  an  old  friend.  You  had  better  take 
your  siesta  now,  child,  to  be  bright  for  dinner.  I  expect  a 
visitor  this  afternoon  —  Dr.  West." 

"  Again  !     What  will  Pereo  say,  little  mother  ?  " 

"  Pereo,"  said  the  widow,  sitting  up  again  in  her  ham- 
mock, with  impatience,  "Pereo  is  becoming  intolerable. 
The  man  is  as  mad  as  Don  Quixote ;  it  is  impossible  to 
conceal  his  eccentric  impertinence  and  interference  from 
strangers,  who  cannot  understand  his  confidential  position 
in  our  house  or  his  long  service.  There  are  no  more 
major-domos,  child.  The  Vallejos,  the  Briones,  the  Castros, 
do  without  them  now.  Dr.  West  says,  wisely,  they  are 
ridiculous  survivals  of  the  patriarchal  system." 

"  And  can  be  replaced  by  intelligent  strangers,"  inter- 
rupted Maruja  demurely. 

"  The  more  easily  if  the  patriarchal  system  has  not  been 
able  to  preserve  the  respect  due  from  children  to  parents. 


28  MARUJA 

No,  Maruja !  No ;  I  am  offended.  Do  not  touch  me  ! 
And  your  hair  is  coming  down,  and  your  eyes  have  rings 
like  owls.  You  uphold  this  fanatical  Pereo  "because  he 
leaves  you  alone  and  stalks  your  poor  sisters  and  their  es- 
corts like  the  Indian,  whose  blood  is  in  his  veins.  The 
saints  only  can  tell  if  he  did  not  disgust  this  Captain  Car- 
roll into  flight.  He  believes  himself  the  sole  custodian  of 
the  honor  of  our  family  —  that  he  has  a  sacred  mission  from 
this  Don  Fulano  of  Koorotora  to  avert  its  fate.  Without 
doubt  he  keeps  up  his  delusions  with  aguardiente,  and 
passes  for  a  prophet  among  the  silly  peons  and  servants. 
He  frightens  the  children  with  his  ridiculous  stories  and 
teaches  them  to  decorate  that  heathen  mound  as  if  it  were  a 
shrine  of  Our  Lady  of  Sorrows.  He  was  almost  rude  to 
Dr.  West  yesterday." 

"  But  you  have  encouraged  him  in  his  confidential  posi- 
tion here,"  said  Maruja.  "  You  forget,  my  mother,  how 
you  got  him  to  '  duena ?  Enriqueta  with  the  Colonel  Brown  ; 
how  you  let  him  frighten  the  young  Englishman  who  was 
too  attentive  to  Dorotea ;  how  you  set  him  even  upon  poor 
Raymond,  and  failed  so  dismally  that  I  had  to  take  him 
myself  in  hand." 

"  But  if  I  choose  to  charge  him  with  explanations  that  I 
cannot  make  myself  without  derogating  from  the  time- 
honored  hospitality  of  the  casa,  that  is  another  thing.  It 
is  not,"  said  Dona  Maria,  with  a  certain  massive  dignity, 
that,  inconsistent  as  it  was  with  the  weakness  of  her  argu- 
ment, was  not  without  impressiveness,  "it  is  not  yet, 
Blessed  Santa  Maria,  that  we  are  obliged  to  take  notice  our- 
self  of  the  pretensions  of  every  guest  beneath  our  roof  like 
the  match-making,  daughter-selling  English  and  Americans. 
And  then  Pereo  had  tact  and  discrimination.  Now  he  is 
mad  !  There  are  strangers  and  strangers.  The  whole 
valley  is  full  of  them  —  one  can  discriminate,  since  the  old 
families  year  by  year  are  growing  less." 


MARUJA  29 

"  Surely  not,"  said  Maruja  innocently.  "  There  is  the 
excellent  Ramierrez,  who  has  lately  almost  taken  him  a 
•wife  from  the  singing-hall  in  San  Francisco  ;  he  may  yet 
be  snatched  from  the  fire.  There  is  the  youthful  Jose 
Castro,  the  sole  padroiio  of  our  national  bull-fight  at  Soquel, 
the  famous  horse-breaker,  and  the  winner  of  I  know  not 
how  many  races.  And  have  we  not  Vincente  Peralta,  who 
will  run,  it  is  said,  for  the  American  Congress.  He  can 
read  and  write — truly  I  have  a  letter  from  him  here.7' 
She  turned  back  the  folded  slip  of  Captain  Carroll's  note 
and  discovered  another  below. 

Mrs.  Saltonstall  tapped  her  daughter's  hand  with  her 
fan.  "  You  jest  at  them,  yet  you  uphold  Pereo  !  Go, 
now,  and  sleep  yourself  into  a  better  frame  of  mind.  Stop  ! 
I  hear  the  Doctor's  horse.  Run  and  see  that  Pereo  receives 
him  properly." 

Maruja  had  barely  entered  the  dark  corridor  when  she 
came  upon  the  visitor,  —  a  gray,  hard-featured  man  of 
sixty,  —  who  had  evidently  entered  without  ceremony. 
"  I  see  you  did  not  wait  to  be  announced,"  she  said 
sweetly.  "  My  mother  will  be  flattered  by  your  impa- 
tience. You  will  find  her  in  the  patio." 

"Pereo  did  not  announce  me,  as  he  was  probably  still 
under  the  effect  of  the  aguardiente  he  swallowed  yester- 
day," said  the  Doctor  dryly.  "  I  met  him  outside  the 
tienda  on  the  highway  the  other  night,  talking  to  a  pair  of 
cut-throats  that  I  would  shoot  on  sight." 

"  The  major-domo  has  many  purchases  to  make,  and 
must  meet  a  great  many  people,"  said  Maruja.  "What 
would  you  ?  We  cannot  select  his  acquaintances  ;  we  can 
hardly  choose  our  own,"  she  added  sweetly. 

The  Doctor  hesitated,  as  if  to  reply,  and  then,  with  a 
grim  "  good-morning,"  passed  on  towards  the  patio.  Ma- 
ruja did  not  follow  him.  Her  attention  was  suddenly 
absorbed  by  a  hitherto  unnoticed  motionless  figure^  that 


80  MARUJA 

seemed  to  be  hiding  in  the  shadow  of  an  angle  of  the  pas- 
sage, as  if  waiting  for  her  to  pass.  The  keen  eyes  of  the 
daughter  of  Joseph  Saltonstall  were  not  deceived.  She 
walked  directly  towards  the  figure,  and  said  sharply, 
"  Pereo  !  " 

The  figure  came  hesitatingly  forward  into  the  light  of 
the  grated  window.  It  was  that  of  an  old  man,  still  tall 
and  erect,  though  the  hair  had  disappeared  from  his  tem- 
ples, and  hung  in  two  or  three  straight,  long  dark  elf-locks 
on  his  neck.  His  face,  over  which  one  of  the  bars  threw 
a  sinister  shadow,  was  the  yellow  of  a  dried  tobacco-leaf, 
and  veined  as  strongly.  His  garb  was  a  strange  mingling 
of  the  vaquero  and  the  ecclesiastic  —  velvet  trousers,  open 
from  the  knee  down,  and  fringed  with  bullion  buttons  ;  a 
broad  red  sash  around  his  waist,  partly  hidden  by  a  long, 
straight  chaqueta  ;  with  a  circular  sacerdotal  cape  of  black 
broadcloth  slipped  over  his  head  through  a  slitlike  open- 
ing braided  with  gold.  His  restless  yellow  eyes  fell  before 
the  young  girl's  ;  and  the  stiff,  varnished,  hard-brimmed 
sombrero  he  held  in  his  wrinkled  hands  trembled. 

"  You  are  spying  again,  Pereo,"  said  Maruja  in  another 
dialect  than  the  one  she  had  used  to  her  mother.  "  It  is 
unworthy  of  my  father's  trusted  servant." 

"  It  is  that  man  —  that  coyote,  Dona  Maruja,  that  is 
unworthy  of  your  father,  of  your  mother,  of  you  ! "  he 
gesticulated  in  a  fierce  whisper.  "  I,  Pereo,  do  not  spy. 
I  follow,  follow  the  track  of  the  prowling,  stealing  brute 
until  I  run  him  down.  Yes,  it  was  J,  Pereo,  who  warned 
your  father  he  would  not  be  content  with  the  half  of  the 
land  he  stole  !  It  was  I,  Pereo,  who  warned  your  mother 
that  each  time  he  trod  the  soil  of  La  Mision  Perdida  he 
measured  the  land  he  could  take  away  !  "  He  stopped 
pantingly,  with  the  insane  abstraction  of  a  fixed  idea  glitter- 
ing in  his  eyes. 

"  And  it  was  you,  Pereo,"  she   said   caressingly,  laying 


MARUJA  31 

her  soft  hand  on  his  heaving  breast,  "you  who  carried  me 
in  your  arms  when  I  was  a  child.  It  was  you,  Pereo,  who 
took  me  before  you  on  your  pinto  horse  to  the-  rodeo,  when 
no  one  knew  it  but  ourselves,  my  Pereo,  was  it  not  ?  " 
He  nodded  his  head  violently.  "  It  was  you  who  showed 
me  the  gallant  caballeros,  the  Pachecos,  the  Castros,  the 
Alvarados,  the  Estudillos,  the  Peraltas,  the  Vallejos." 
His  head  kept  time  with  each  name  as  the  fire  dimmed  in 
his  wet  eyes.  "  You  made  me  promise  I  would  not  forget 
them  for  the  Americanos  who  were  here.  Good !  That 
was  years  ago !  I  am  older  now.  I  have  seen  many 
Americans.  Well,  I  am  still  free  !  " 

He  caught  her  hand,  and  raised  it  to  his  lips  with  a  ges- 
ture almost  devotional.  His  eyes  softened  ;  as  the  exalta- 
tion of  passion  passed,  his  voice  dropped  into  the  querulous- 
ness  of  privileged  age.  "  Ah,  yes  !  —  you,  the  first-born, 
the  heiress  —  of  a  verity,  yes  !  You  were  ever  a  Guitierrez. 
But  the  others  ?  Eh,  where  are  they  now  ?  And  it  was 
always  :  '  Eh,  Pereo,  what  shall  we  do  to-day  ?  Pereo,  good 
Pereo,  we  are  asked  to  ride  here  and  there  ;  we  are  expected 
to  visit  the  new  people  in  the  valley  —  what  say  you, 
Pereo  ?  Who  shall  we  dine  to-day  ?  '  Or :  '  Inquire  me  of 
this  or  that  strange  caballero  —  and  if  we  may  speak/  Ah, 
it  is  but  yesterday  that  Amita  would  say  :  '  Lend  me  thine 
own  horse,  Pereo,  that  I  may  outstrip  this  swaggering 
Americano  that  clings  ever  to  my  side,'  ha !  ha !  Or  the 
grave  Dorotea  would  whisper :  l  Convey  to  this  Senor  Pre- 
sumptuous Pomposo  that  the  daughters  of  Guitierrez  do  not 
ride  alone  with  strangers  ! '  Or  even  the  little  Liseta  would 
say,  he  !  he !  '  Why  does  the  stranger  press  my  foot  in  his 
great  hand  when  he  helps  me  into  the  saddle  ?  Tell  him 
that  is  not  the  way,  Pereo.'  Ha  !  ha !  "  He  laughed 
childishly,  and  stopped.  "  And  why  does  Senorita  Amita 
now  —  look  —  complain  that  Pereo,  old  Pereo,  comes  be- 
tween her  and  this  Senor  Raymond  —  the  maquinista  ?  Eh, 


82  MARUJA 

and  why  does  she,  the  lady  mother,  the  Castellana,  shut 
Pereo  from  her  councils  ?  "  he  went  on,  with  rising  excite- 
ment. "  What  are  these  secret  meetings,  eh  ?  —  what  these 
appointments,  alone  with  this  Judas  —  without  the  family 

—  without  me  !  " 

"  Hearken,  Pereo,"  said  the  young  girl,  again  laying  her 
hand  on  the  old  man's  shoulder  ;   "  you  have  spoken  truly 

—  but  you  forget  —  the  years  pass.      These  are  no  longer 
strangers  ;  old  friends  have  gone  —  these  have  taken  their 
place.     My  father  forgave  the  Doctor  —  why  cannot  you  ? 
For  the  rest,  believe  in  me  —  me  —  Maruja  " —  she    dra- 
matically touched  her  heart  over  the  international  compli- 
cations of  the  letters  of  Captain  Carroll  and  Peralta.     "  I 
will  see  that  the  family  honor  does  not  suffer.     And  now, 
good  Pereo,  calm  thyself.     Not  with  aguardiente,  but  with 
a  bottle  of  old  wine  from  the  Mision  refectory  that  I  will 
send  to  thee.     It  was  given  to  me  by  thy  friend,  Padre 
Miguel,  and  is  from  the  old  vines  that  were  here.  Courage, 
Pereo  !     And  thou  sayest  that  Amita  complains  that  thou 
comest  between  her  and  Raymond.     So  !     What  matter  ? 
Let  it  cheer  thy  heart  to  know  that  I  have  summoned  the 
Peraltas,  the  Pachecos,  .the  Estudillos,  all  thy  old  friends, 
to  dine  here  to-day.      Thou  wilt  hear  the  old  names,  even 
if  the  faces  are  young  to  thee.     Courage  !     Do  thy  duty, 
old  friend  ;  let  them  see  that  the  hospitality  of  La  Mision 
Perdida    does   not    grow     old,    if    its    major-domo   does. 
Faquita  will  bring  thee  the  wine.     No ;  not    that   way ; 
thou  needest  not  pass  the  patio,  nor  meet  that  man  again. 
Here,  give  me  thy  hand,  I  will  lead  thee.      It  trembles, 
Pereo  !     These  are  not  the  sinews  that  only  two  years  ago 
pulled  down  the  bull  at    Soquel  with    thy    single    lasso ! 
Wrhy,  look  !     I  can  drag  thee  ;    see  ! "  and  with  a  light 
laugh  and  a  boyish  gesture,  she  half  pulled,  half  dragged 
him  along,  until  their  voices  were  lost  in  the  dark  corridor. 

Maruja  kept  her  word.     When  the  sun  began  to  cast 


MARUJA  33 

long  shadows  along  the  veranda,  not  only  the  outer  shell  of 
La  Mision  Perdida,  but  the  dark  inner  heart  of  the  old  casa, 
stirred  with  awakened  life.  Single  horsemen  and  carriages 
began  to  arrive  ;  and  mingled  with  the  modern  turnouts 
of  the  home  party  and  the  neighboring  Americans  were  a 
few  of  the  cumbrous  vehicles  and  chariots  of  fifty  years  ago, 
drawn  by  gayly  trapped  mules  with  bizarre  postilions,  and 
occasionally  an  outrider.  Dark  faces  looked  from  the  bal- 
cony of  the  patio,  a  light  cloud  of  cigarette-smoke  made  the 
dark  corridors  the  more  obscure,  and  mingled  with  the  for- 
gotten incense.  Bare-headed  pretty  women,  with  roses 
starring  their  dark  hair,  wandered  with  childish  curiosity 
along  the  broad  veranda  and  in  and  out  of  the  French 
windows  that  opened  upon  the  grand  saloon.  Scrupulously 
shaved  men  with  olive  complexion,  stout  men  with  accu- 
rately curving  whiskers  meeting  at  their  dimpled  chins, 
lounged  about  with  a  certain  unconscious  dignity  that  made 
them  contentedly  indifferent  to  any  novelty  of  their  sur- 
roundings. For  a  while  the  two  races  kept  mechanically 
apart;  but,  through  the  tactful  gallantry  of  Gamier,  the 
cynical  familiarity  of  Raymond,  and  the  impulsive  reckless- 
ness of  Aladdin,  who  had  forsaken  his  enchanted  Palace  on 
the  slightest  of  invitations,  and  returned  with  the  party  in 
the  hope  of  again  seeing  the  Princess  of  China,  an  inter- 
change of  civilities,  of  gallantries,  and  even  of  confidences,  at 
last  took  place.  Jovita  Castro  had  heard  (who  had  not  ?)  of 
the  wonders  of  Aladdin's  Palace,  and  was  it  of  actual  truth 
that  the  ladies  had  a  bouquet  and  a  fan  to  match  their  dress 
presented  to  them  every  morning,  and  that  the  gentlemen  had 
a  champagne  cocktail  sent  to  their  rooms  before  breakfast  ? 
"  Just  you  come,  Miss,  and  bring  your  father  and  your 
brothers,  and  stay  a  week  and  you  '11  see,"  responded  Alad- 
din gallantly.  "Hold  on!  What's  your  father's  first 
name  ?  I  '11  send  a  team  over  there  for  you  to-morrow." 
"  And  is  it  true  that  you  frightened  the  handsome  Captain 


34  MARTJJA 

Carroll  away  from  Amita  ?  "  said  Dolores  Briones,  over  the 
edge  of  her  fan  to  Eaymond.  "  Perfectly/7  said  Raymond, 
with  ingenuous  frankness.  "  I  made  it  a  matter  of  life  or 
death.  He. was  a  soldier,  and  naturally  preferred  the  for- 
mer as  giving  him  a  better  chance  for  promotion. "  "  Ah  ! 
we  thought  it  was  Maruja  you  liked  best."  "  That  was 
two  years  ago,"  said  Raymond  gravely.  "  And  you  Amer- 
icanos can  change  in  that  time  ?  "  "I  have  just  experi- 
enced that  it  can  be  done  in  less,"  he  responded,  over  the 
fan,  with  bewildering  significance.  Nor  were  these  confi- 
dences confined  to  only  one  nationality.  "  I  always  thought 
you  Spanish  gentlemen  were  very  dark,  and  wore  long 
mustaches  and  a  cloak,"  said  pretty  little  Miss  Walker, 
gazing  frankly  into  the  smooth  round  face  of  the  eldest 
Pacheco —  "  why,  you  are  as  fair  as  I  am."  aEaf  I  tink 
that,  I  am  forever  mizzarable,"  he  replied,  with  grave  mel- 
ancholy. In  the  dead  silence  that  followed  he  was  enabled 
to  make  his  decorous  point.  "  Because  I  shall  not  ezcape 
ze  fate  of  Narcissus."  Mr.  Buchanan,  with  the  unre- 
strained and  irresponsible  enjoyment  of  a  traveler,  entered 
fully  into  the  spirit  of  the  scene.  He  even -found  words  of 
praise  for  Aladdin,  whose  extravagance  had  at  first  seemed 
to  him  almost  impious.  "  Eh,  but  I  'm  not  prepared  to  say 
he  is  a  fool,  either,"  he  remarked  to  his  friend,  the  San 
Francisco  banker.  "  Those  who  try  to  pick  him  up  for 
one,"  returned  the  banker,  "  will  find  themselves  mistaken. 
His  is  the  prodigality  that  loosens  others'  purse-strings  be- 
sides his  own.  Everybody  contents  himself  with  criticis- 
ing his  way  of  spending  money,  but  is  ready  to  follow  his 
way  of  making  it." 

The  dinner  was  more  formal,  and  when  the  mistress  of 
the  house,  massive  in  black  silk,  velvet  and  gold  embroi- 
dery, moved  like  a  pageant  to  the  head  of  her  table,  where 
she  remained  like  a  sacerdotal  effigy,  not  even  the  presence 
of  the  practical  Scotchman  at  her  side  could  remove  the 


MARUJA  35 

prevailing  sense  of  restraint.  For  a  while  the  conversation 
of  the  relatives  might  have  been  brought  with  them  in  their 
antique  vehicles  of  fifty  years  ago,  so  faded,  so  worn,  and 
so  springless  it  was.  General  Pico  related  the  festivities 
at  Monterey,  on  the  occasion  of  the  visit  of  Sir  George 
Simpson  early  in  the  present  century,  of  which  he  was  an 
eye-witness,  with  great  precision  of  detail.  Don  Juan 
Estudillo  was  comparatively  frivolous,  with  anecdotes  of 
Louis  Philippe,  whom  he  had  seen  in  Paris.  Far-seeing 
Pedro  Guitierrez  was  gloomily  impressed  with  a  Mongolian 
invasion  of  California  by  the  Chinese,  in  which  the  prevail- 
ing religion  would  be  supplanted  by  heathen  temples,  and 
polygamy  engrafted  on  the  Constitution.  Everybody  agreed, 
however,  that  the  vital  question  of  the  hour  was  the  settle- 
ment of  land  titles  —  Americans  who  claimed  under  pre- 
emption and  the  native  holders  of  Spanish  grants  were 
equally  of  the  opinion.  In  the  midst  of  this  the  musical 
voice  of  Maruja  was  heard  asking,  "  What  is  a  tramp  ?  " 

Raymond,  on  her  right,  was  ready  but  not  conclusive. 
A.  tramp,  if  he  could  sing,  would  be  a  troubadour ;  if  he 
could  pray,  would  be  a  pilgrim  friar  —  in  either  case  a 
natural  object  of  womanly  solicitude.  But  as  he  could  do 
neither,  he  was  simply  a  curse. 

"  And  you  think  that  is  not  an  object  of  womanly  solici- 
tude ?  But  that  does  not  tell  me  what  he  is." 

A  dozen  gentlemen,  swept  in  the  radius  of  those  softly 
inquiring  eyes,  here  started  to  explain.  From  them  it  ap- 
peared that  there  was  no  such  thing  in  California  as  a  tramp, 
and  there  were  also  a  dozen  varieties  of  tramp  in  California. 

"  But  is  he  always  very  uncivil  ?  "  asked  Maruja. 

Again  there  were  conflicting  opinions.  You  might  have  to 
shoot  him  on  sight,  and  you  might  have  him  invariably  run 
from  you.  When  the  question  was  finally  settled,  Maruja 
was  found  to  have  become  absorbed  in  conversation  with 
some  one  else. 


36  MARUJA 

Amita,  a  taller  copy  of  Maruja,  and  more  regularly  beau- 
tiful, had  built  up  a  little  pile  of  bread  crumbs  between 
herself  and  Raymond,  and  was  listening  to  him  with  a  cer- 
tain shy,  girlish  interest  that  was  as  inconsistent  with  the 
serene  regularity  of  her  face  as  Maruja's  self-possessed, 
subtle  intelligence  was  incongruous  with  her  youthful  figure. 
Raymond's  voice,  when  he  addressed  Amita,  was  low  and 
earnest ;  not  from  any  significance  of  matter,  but  from  its 
frank  confidential  quality. 

"  They  are  discussing  the  new  railroad  project,  and  your 
relations  are  all  opposed  to  it ;  to-morrow  they  will  each 
apply  privately  to  Aladdin  for  the  privilege  of  subscribing. 
I  have  never  seen  a  railroad,"  said  Amita,  slightly  color- 
ing ;  "  but  you  are  an  engineer,  and  I  know  they  must  be 
something  very  clever." 

Notwithstanding  the  coolness  of  the  night,  a  full  moon 
drew  the  guests  to  the  veranda,  where  coffee  was  served, 
and  where,  mysteriously  muffled  in  cloaks  and  shawls,  the 
party  took  upon  itself  the  appearance  of  groups  of  dominoed 
masqueraders,  scattered  along  the  veranda  and  on  the  broad 
steps  of  the  porch  in  gypsy-like  encampments,  from  whose 
cloaked  shadow  the  moonlight  occasionally  glittered  upon  a 
varnished  boot  or  peeping  satin  slipper.  Two  or  three  of 
these  groups  had  resolved  themselves  into  detached  couples, 
who  wandered  down  the  acacia  walk  to  the  sound  of  a  harp 
in  the  grand  saloon  or  the  occasional  uplifting  of  a  thin 
Spanish  tenor.  Two  of  these  couples  were  Maruja  and 
Gamier,  followed  by  Amita  and  Raymond. 

"  You  are  restless  to-night,  Maruja,"  said  Amita,  shyly 
endeavoring  to  make  a  show  of  keeping  up  with  her  sister's 
boyish  stride,  in  spite  of  Raymond's  reluctance.  "  You  are 
paying  for  your  wakefulness  to-day." 

The  same  idea  passed  through  the  minds  of  both  men. 
She  was  missing  the  excitement  of  Captain  Carroll's  pre- 
sence. 


MARUJA  37 

"  The  air  is  so  refreshing  away  from  the  house,"  re- 
sponded Maruja,  with  a  bright  energy  that  belied  any  sug- 
gestion of  fatigue  or  moral  disquietude.  "  I  'm  tired  of 
running  against  those  turtle-doves  in  the  walks  and  bushes. 
Let  us  keep  on  to  the  lane.  If  you  are  tired,  Mr.  Ray- 
mond will  give  you  his  arm." 

They  kept  on,  led  by  the  indomitable  little  figure,  who, 
for  once,  did  not  seem  to  linger  over  the  attentions,  both 
piquant  and  tender,  with  which  Gamier  improved  his  op- 
portunity. Given  a  shadowy  lane,  a  lovers'  moon,  a  pair 
of  bright  and  not  unkindly  eyes,  a  charming  and  not  distant 
figure  —  what  more  could  he  want  ?  Yet  he  wished  she 
had  n't  walked  so  fast.  One  might  be  vivacious,  audacious, 
brilliant,  at  an  Indian  trot ;  but  impassioned  —  never  ! 
The  pace  increased;  they  were  actually  hurrying.  More 
than  that,  Maruja  had  struck  into  a  little  trot ;  her  lithe 
body  swaying  from  side  to  side,  her  little  feet  straight  as 
an  arrow  before  her  ;  accompanying  herself  with  a  quaint 
musical  chant,  which  she  obligingly  explained  had  been 
taught  her  as  a  child  by  Pereo.  They  stopped  only  at  the 
hedge,  where  she  had  that  morning  encountered  the  tramp. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  the  rest  of  the  party  was  dis- 
concerted :  Amita,  whose  figure  was  not  adapted  to  this 
Camilla-like  exercise ;  Raymond,  who  was  annoyed  at  the 
poor  girl's  discomfiture  ;  and  Gamier,  who  had  lost  a  golden 
opportunity,  with  the  faint  suspicion  of  having  looked  ridic- 
ulous. Only  Maruja's  eyes,  or  rather  the  eyes  of  her 
lamented  father,  seemed  to  enjoy  it. 

"  You  are  too  effeminate,"  she  said,  leaning  against  the 
fence,  and  shading  her  eyes  with  her  fan,  as  she  glanced 
around  in  the  staring  moonlight.  "  Civilization  has  taken 
away  your  legs.  A  man  ought  to  be  able  to  trust  to  his 
feet  all  day,  and  to  nothing  else." 

"  In  fact  —  a  tramp,"  suggested  Raymond. 

"  Possibly.     I  think  I  should  like  to  have  been  a  gypsy, 


38  MARUJA 

and  to  have  wandered  about,  finding  a  new  home  every 
night." 

"  And  a  change  of  linen  on  the  early  morning  hedges," 
said  Raymond.  "  But  do  you  think  seriously  that  you  and 
your  sister  are  suitably  clad  to  commence  to-night  ?  It  is 
bitterly  cold,"  he  added,  turning  up  his  collar.  "  Could 
you  begin  by  showing  a  pal  the  nearest  haystack  or  hen- 
roost ?  " 

"  Sybarite  !  "  She  cast  a  long  look  over  the  fields  and 
down  the  lane.  Suddenly  she  started.  "  What  is  that  ?  " 

She  pointed  to  a  tall  erect  figure  slowly  disappearing  on 
the  other  side  of  the  hedge. 

"It's  Pereo,  only  Pereo.  I  knew  him  by  his  long 
serape,"  said  Gamier,  who  was  nearest  the  hedge,  compla- 
cently. "  But  what  is  surprising,  he  was  not  there  when 
we  came,  nor  did  he  come  out  of  that  open  field.  He  must 
have  been  walking  behind  us  on  the  other  side  of  the 
hedge." 

The  eyes  of  the  two  girls  sought  each  other  simulta- 
neously, but  not  without  Raymond's  observant  glance. 
Amita's  brow  darkened  as  she  moved  to  her  sister's  side, 
and  took  her  arm  with  a  confidential  pressure  that  was 
returned.  The  two  men,  with  a  vague  consciousness  of 
some  contretemps,  dropped  a  pace  behind,  and  began  to 
talk  to  each  other,  leaving  the  sisters  to  exchange  a  few 
words  in  a  low  tone  as  they  slowly  returned  to  the  house. 

Meanwhile,  Pereo' s  tall  figure  had  disappeared  in  the 
shrubbery,  to  emerge  again  in  the  open  area  by  the  sum- 
mer-house and  the  old  pear-tree.  The  red  sparks  of  two 
or  three  cigarettes  in  the  shadow  of  the  summer-house,  and 
the  crouching  forms  of  two  shawled  women  came  forward 
to  greet  him. 

"  And  what  hast  thou  heard,  Pereo  ?  "  said  one  of  the 
women. 

"  Nothing,"  said  Pereo    impatiently.     "  I  told   thee    I 


MARUJA  39 

would  answer  for  this  little  primogenita  with  my  life.  She 
is  but  leading  this  Frenchman  a  dance,  as  she  has  led  the 
others,  and  the  Dofia  Amita  and  her  Raymond  are  but  wax 
in  her  hands.  Besides,  I  have  spoken  with  the  little  7Ruja 
to-day,  and  spoke  my  mind,  Pepita,  and  she  says  there  is 
nothing." 

"  And  whilst  thou  wert  speaking  to  her,  my  poor  Pereo, 
the  devil  of  an  American  Doctor  was  speaking  to  her 
mother,  thy  mistress  —  our  mistress,  Pereo !  Wouldst 
thou  know  what  he  said  ?  Oh,  it  was  nothing." 

"  Now,  the  curse  of  Koorotora  on  thee,  Pepita ! "  said 
Pereo  excitedly.  "Speak,  fool,  if  thou  knowest  any- 
thing ! " 

"  Of  a  verity,  no.  Let  Faquita,  then,  speak  :  she  heard 
it."  She  reached  out  her  hand,  and  dragged  Maruja's  maid, 
not  unwilling,  before  the  old  man. 

"  Good  !  'T  is  Faquita,  daughter  of  Gomez,  and  a  child 
of  the  land.  Speak,  little  one.  What  said  this  coyote  to 
the  mother  of  thy  mistress  ?  " 

"  Truly,  good  Pereo,  it  was  but  accident  that  befriended 
me." 

"  Truly,  for  thy  mistress's  sake,  I  hoped  it  had  been 
more.  But  let  that  go.  Come,  what  said  he,  child  ?  " 

"  I  was  hanging  up  a  robe  behind  the  curtain  in  the  ora- 
tory when  Pepita  ushered  in  the  Americano.  I  had  no 
time  to  fly." 

"  Why  shouldst  thou  fly  from  a  dog  like  this  ?  "  said 
one  of  the  cigarette-smokers  who  had  drawn  near. 

"  Peace  !  "  said  the  old  man. 

"  When  the  Dona  Maria  joined  him  they  spoke  of  affairs. 
Yes,  Pereo,  she,  thy  mistress,  spoke  of  affairs  to  this  man 
—  ay,  as  she  might  have  talked  to  thee.  And,  could  he 
advise  this  ?  and  could  he  counsel  that  ?  and  should  the 
cattle  be  taken  from  the  lower  lands,  and  the  fields  turned 
to  grain  ?  and  had  he  a  purchaser  for  Los  Osos  ?  " 


40  MARUJA 

"  Los  Osos  !  It  is  the  boundary  land  —  the  frontier  — 
the  line  of  the  arroyo  —  older  than  the  Mision,"  muttered 
Pereo. 

"  Ay,  and  he  talked  of  the  —  the  —  I  know  not  what  it 
is  !  —  the  r-r-rail-r-road." 

"  The  railroad/'  gasped  the  old  man.  "  I  will  tell  thee 
what  it  is !  It  is  the  cut  of  a  burning  knife  through  La 
Mision  Perdida  —  as  long  as  eternity,  as  dividing  as  death. 
On  either  side  of  that  gash  life  is  blasted ;  wherever  that 
cruel  steel  is  laid  the  track  of  it  is  livid  and  barren ;  it  cuts 
down  all  barriers ;  leaps  all  boundaries,  be  they  cafiada  or 
canon ;  it  is  a  torrent  in  the  plain,  a  tornado  in  the  forest  j 
its  very  pathway  is  destruction  to  whoso  crosses  it  —  man  or 
beast ;  it  is  the  heathenish  God  of  the  Americanos ;  they 
build  temples  for  it,  and  flock  there  and  worship  it  whenever 
it  stops,  breathing  fire  and  flame  like  a  very  Moloch." 

"  Eh  !  St.  Anthony  preserve  us  !  "  said  Faquita,  shudder- 
ing ;  "  and  yet  they  spoke  of  it  as  '  shares '  and  '  stocks/  and 
said  it  would  double  the  price  of  corn." 

"  Now,  Judas  pursue  thee  and  thy  railroad,  Pereo,"  said 
Pepita  impatiently.  "  It  is  not  such  bagatela  that  Faquita 
is  here  to  relate.  Go  on,  child,  and  tell  all  that  happened." 

"  And  then,"  continued  Faquita,  with  a  slight  affectation 
of  maiden  bashfulness,  in  the  closer-drawing  circle  of  cigar- 
ettes, "  and  then  they  talked  of  other  things  and  of  them- 
selves ;  and,  of  a  verity,  this  gray-bearded  Doctor  will  play 
the  goat  and  utter  gallant  speeches,  and  speak  of  a  lifelong 
devotion  and  of  the  time  he  should  have  a  right  to  pro- 
tect "  — 

"  The  right,  girl !  Didst  thou  say  the  right  ?  No,  thou 
didst  mistake.  It  was  not  that  he  meant  ?  " 

"  Thy  life  to  a  quarter  peso  that  the  little  Faquita  does 
not  mistake,"  said  the  evident  satirist  of  the  household. 
"  Trust  to  Gomez'  muchacha  to  understand  a  proposal." 

When  the  laugh  was  over,  and  the  sparks  of  the  cigarette, 


MARUJA  41 

cleverly  whipped  out  of  the  speaker's  lips  by  Faquita's  fan, 
had  disappeared  in  the  darkness,  she  resumed,  pettishly,  "  I 
know  not  what  you  call  it  when  he  kissed  her  hand  and  held 
it  to  his  heart. " 

"  Judas  !  "  gasped  Pereo.  "  But/'  he  added  feverishly, 
"  she,  the  Dona  Maria,  thy  mistress,  she  summoned  thee  at 
once  to  call  me  to  cast  out  this  dust  into  the  open  air ;  thou 
didst  fly  to  her  assistance  ?  What !  thou  sawest  this,  and 
did  nothing  —  eh  ?  "  He  stopped,  and  tried  to  peer  into  the 
girl's  face.  "  No  !  Ah,  I  see  ;  I  am  an  old  fool.  Yes ;  it 
was  Maruja's  own  mother  that  stood  there.  He  !  he  !  he  !  " 
he  laughed  piteously  ;  "  and  she  smiled  and  smiled  and  broke 
the  coward's  heart,  as  Maruja  might.  And  when  he  was 
gone,  she  bade  thee  bring  her  water  to  wash  the  filthy  Judas 
stain  from  her  hand." 

"  Santa  Ana ! "  said  Faquita,  shrugging  her  shoulders. 
"She  did  what  the  veriest  muchacha  would  have  done. 
When  he  had  gone,  she  sat  down  and  cried." 

The  old  man  drew  back  a  step,  and  steadied  himself  by 
the  table.  Then,  with  a  certain  tremulous  audacity,  he 
began  :  "  So  !  that  is  all  you  have  to  tell  —  nothing  !  Bah  ! 
A  lazy  slut  sleeps  at  her  duty,  and  dreams  behind  a  curtain ! 
Yes,  dreams  !  —  you  understand  —  dreams  !  And  for  this 
she  leaves  her  occupations,  and  comes  to  gossip  here ! 
Come,"  he  continued,  steadily  working  himself  into  a  passion, 
"  come,  enough  of  this  !  Get  you  gone !  —  you,  and  Pepita, 
and  Andreas,  and  Victor  —  all  of  you  —  back  to  your  duty. 
Away  !  Am  I  not  master  here  ?  Off !  I  say  !  " 

There  was  no  mistaking  the  rising  anger  of  his  voice. 
The  cowed  group  rose  in  a  frightened  way  and  disappeared 
one  by  one  silently  through  the  labyrinth.  Pereo  waited 
until  the  last  had  vanished,  and  then,  cramming  his  stiff 
sombrero  over  his  eyes  with  an  ejaculation,  brushed  his  way 
through  the  shrubbery  in  the  direction  of  the  stables. 

Later,  when  the  full  glory  of  the  midnight  moon  had  put 


42  MAEUJA 

out  every  straggling  light  in  the  great  house ;  when  the  long 
veranda  slept  in  massive  bars  of  shadow,  and  even  the  trade- 
winds  wece  hushed  to  repose,  Pereo  silently  issued  from  the 
stable-yard  in  vaquero's  dress,  mounted  and  caparisoned. 
Picking  his  way  cautiously  along  the  turf-bordered  edge  of 
the  gravel  path,  he  noiselessly  reached  a  gate  that  led  to  the 
lane.  Walking  his  spirited  mustang  with  difficulty  until 
the  house  had  at  last  disappeared  in  the  intervening  foliage, 
he  turned  with  an  easy  canter  into  a  border  bridle-path  that 
seemed  to  lead  to  the  Canada.  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  he 
had  reached  a  low  amphitheatre  of  meadows,  shut  in  a  half 
circle  of  grassy  treeless  hills. 

Here,  putting  spurs  to  his  horse,  he  entered  upon  a 
singular  exercise.  Twice  he  made  a  circuit  of  the  meadow 
at  a  wild  gallop,  with  flying  serape  and  loosened  rein,  and 
twice  returned.  The  third  time  his  speed  increased ;  the 
ground  seemed  to  stream  from  under  him ;  in  the  distance 
the  limbs  of  his  steed  became  invisible  in  their  furious  action, 
and,  lying  low  forward  on  his  mustang's  neck,  man  and  horse 
passed  like  an  arrowy  bolt  around  the  circle.  Then  some- 
thing like  a  light  ring  of  smoke  up-curved  from  the  saddle 
before  him,  and  slowly  uncoiling  itself  in  mid  air,  dropped 
gently  to  the  ground  as  he  passed.  Again,  and  once  again, 
the  shadowy  coil  sped  upward  and  onward,  slowly  detaching 
its  snaky  rings  with  a  weird  deliberation  that  was  in  strange 
contrast  to  the  impetuous  onset  of  the  rider,  and  yet  seemed 
a  part  of  his  fury.  And  then  turning,  Pere©  trotted  gently 
to  the  centre  of  the^ circle. 

Here  he  divested  himself  of  his  serape,  and,  securing  it  in 
a  cylindrical  roll,  placed  it  upright  on  the  ground  and  once 
more  sped  away  on  his  furious  circuit.  But  this  time  he 
wheeled  suddenly  before  it  was  half  completed  and  bore 
down  directly  upon  the  unconscious  object.  Within  a 
hundred  feet  he  swerved  slightly ;  the  long  detaching  rings 
again  writhed  in  mid  air  and  softly  descended  as  he  thun- 


MARUJA  43 

dered  past.  But  when  he  had  reached  the  line  of  circuit 
again,  he  turned  and  made  directly  for  the  road  he  had 
entered.  Fifty  feet  behind  his  horse's  heels,  at  the  end  of 
a  shadowy  cord,  the  luckless  serape  was  dragging  and  bound- 
ing after  him  ! 

"  The  old  man  is  quiet  enough  this  morning/'  said  An- 
dreas, as  he  groomed  the  sweat-dried  skin  of  the  mustang 
the  next  day.  "It  is  easy  to  see,  friend  Pinto,  that  he  has 
worked  off  his  madness  on  thee." 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  Rancho  of  San  Antonio  might  have  been  a  character- 
istic asylum  for  its  blessed  patron,  offering  as  it  did  a  secure 
retreat  from  temptations  for  the  carnal  eye,  and  affording 
every  facility  for  uninterrupted  contemplation  of  the  sky 
above,  unbroken  by  tree  or  elevation.  Unlike  La  Mision 
Perdida,  of  which  it  had  been  part,  it  was  a  level  plain  of 
rich  adobe,  half  the  year  presenting  a  billowy  sea  of  tossing 
verdure  breaking  on  the  far-off  horizon  line,  half  the  year 
presenting  a  dry  and  dusty  shore,  from  which  the  vernal 
sea  had  ebbed,  to  the  low  sky  that  seemed  to  mock  it  with 
a  visionary  sea  beyond.  A  row  of  rough,  irregular,  and 
severely  practical  sheds  and  buildings  housed  the  machinery 
and  the  fifty  or  sixty  men  employed  in  the  cultivation  of 
the  soil,  but  neither  residential  mansion  nor  farmhouse 
offered  any  nucleus  of  rural  comfort  or  civilization  in  the 
midst  of  this  wild  expanse  of  earth  and  sky.  The  simplest 
adjuncts  of  country  life  were  unknown ;  milk  and  butter 
were  brought  from  the  nearest  town  ;  weekly  supplies  of 
fresh  meat  and  vegetables  came  from  the  same  place  ;  in 
the  harvest  season,  the  laborers  and  harvesters  lodged  and 
boarded  in  the  adjacent  settlement  and  walked  to  their 
work.  No  cultivated  flower  bloomed  beside  the  unpainted 
tenement,  though  the  fields  were  starred  in  early  spring  with 
poppies  and  daisies  ;  the  humblest  garden  plant  or  herb  had 
no  place  in  that  prolific  soil.  The  serried  ranks  of  wheat 
pressed  closely  round  the  straggling  sheds  and  barns,  and 
hid  the  lower  windows.  But  the  sheds  were  fitted  with 
the  latest  agricultural  machinery ;  a  telegraphic  wire  con« 


MARUJA  45 

nected  the  nearest  town  with  an  office  in  the  wing  of  one 
of  the  buildings,  where  Dr.  West  sat,  and  in  the  midst  of 
the  wilderness  severely  checked  his  accounts  with  nature. 

Whether  this  strict  economy  of  domestic  outlay  arose 
from  an  ostentatious  contempt  of  country  life  and  the  lux- 
urious habits  of  the  former  landholders,  or  whether  it  was 
a  purely  business  principle  of  Dr.  West,  did  not  appear. 
Those  who  knew  him  best  declared  that  it  was  both. 
Certain  it  was  that  unqualified  commercial  success  crowned 
and  dignified  his  method.  A  few  survivors  of  the  old 
native  families  came  to  see  his  strange  machinery,  that  did 
the  work  of  so  many  idle  men  and  horses.  It  is  said  that 
he  offered  to  "  run "  the  distant  estate  of  Joaquin  Padilla 
from  his  little  office  amidst  the  grain  of  San  Antonio.  Some 
shook  their  heads,  and  declared  that  he  only  sucked  the 
juices  of  the  land  for  a  few  brief  years  to  throw  it  away 
again  ;  that  in  his  fierce  haste  he  skimmed  the  fatness  of 
ages  of  gentle  cultivation  on  a  soil  that  had  been  barely 
tickled  with  native  oaken  ploughshares. 

His  own  personal  tastes  and  habits  were  as  severe  and 
practical  as  his  business  :  the  little  wing  he  inhabited  con- 
tained only  his  office,  his  living  room  or  library,  his  bed- 
room, and  a  bathroom.  This  last  inconsistent  luxury  was 
due  to  a  certain  catlike  cleanliness  which  was  part  of  his 
nature.  His  iron-gray  hair  —  a  novelty  in  this  country  of 
young  Americans — was  always  scrupulously  brushed,  and 
his  linen  spotless.  A  slightly  professional  and  somewhat 
old-fashioned  respectability  in  his  black  clothes  was  also 
characteristic.  His  one  concession  to  the  customs  of  his 
neighbors  was  the  possession  of  two  or  three  of  the  half- 
broken  and  spirited  mustangs  of  the  country,  which  he  rode 
with  the  fearlessness,  if  not  the  perfect  security  and  ease, 
of  a  native.  Whether  the  subjection  of  this  lawless  and 
powerful  survival  of  a  wild  and  unfettered  nature  around 
him  was  part  of  his  plan,  or  whether  it  was  only  a  lingering 


46  MARU JA 

trait  of  some  younger  prowess,  no  one  knew ;  but  his  grim 
and  decorous  figure,  contrasting  with  the  picturesque  and 
flowing  freedom  of  the  horse  he  bestrode,  was  a  frequent 
spectacle  in  road  and  field. 

It  was  the  second  day  after  his  visit  to  La  Mision  Per- 
dida.  He  was  sitting  by  his  desk,  at  sunset,  in  the  faint 
afterglow  of  the  western  sky,  which  flooded  the  floor  through 
the  open  door.  He  was  writing,  but  presently  lifted  his 
head,  with  an  impatient  air,  and  called  out,  "  Harrison  !  " 

The  shadow  of  Dr.  West's  foreman  appeared  at  the  door. 

"  Who 's  that  you  're  talking  to  ?  " 

"  Tramp,  sir." 

"Hire  him,  or  send  him  about  his  business.  Don't 
stand  gabbling  there." 

"  That 's  just  it,  sir.  He  won't  hire  for  a  week  or  a 
day.  He  says  he  '11  do  an  odd  job  for  his  supper  and  a 
shakedown,  but  no  more." 

"Pack  him  off!  .   .   .  Stay.  .   .   .  What 's  he  like  ?" 

"  Like  the  rest  of  'em,  only  a  little  lazier,  I  reckon." 

"  Umph  !     Fetch  him  in." 

The  foreman  disappeared,  and  returned  with  the  tramp 
already  known  to  the  reader.  He  was  a  little  dirtier  and 
grimier  than  on  the  morning  he  had  addressed  Maruja  at 
La  Mision  Perdida  ;  but  he  wore  the  same  air  of  sullen 
indifference,  occasionally  broken  by  furtive  observation. 
His  laziness  —  or  weariness  —  if  the  term  could  describe 
the  lassitude  of  perfect  physical  condition,  seemed  to  have 
increased  ;  and  he  leaned  against  the  door  as  the  Doctor 
regarded  him  with  slow  contempt.  The  silence  continuing, 
he  deliberately  allowed  himself  to  slip  down  into  a  sitting 
position  in.  the  doorway,  where  he  remained. 

"  You  seem  to  have  been  born  tired,"  said  the  Doctor 
grimly. 

"  Yes." 

"  What  have  you  got  to  say  for  yourself  ?  " 


MARUJA  47 

"  I  told  Aim,"  said  the  tramp,  nodding  his  head  towards 
the  foreman,  "  what  1 'd  do  for  a  supper  and  a  bed.  I 
don't  want  anything  but  that." 

"  And  if  you  don't  get  what  you  want  on  your  own  con- 
ditions, what  '11  you  do  ?  "  asked  the  Doctor  dryly. 

"  Go." 

"  Where  did  you  come  from  ?  " 

"  States." 

"  Where  are  you  going  ?  " 

"  On." 

"Leave  him  to  me,"  said  Dr.  West  to  his  foreman. 
The  man  smiled,  and  withdrew. 

The  Doctor  bent  his  head  again  over  his  accounts.  The 
tramp,  sitting  in  the  doorway,  reached  out  his  hand,  pulled 
a  young  wheat-stalk  that  had  sprung  up  near  the  doorstep, 
and  slowly  nibbled  it.  He  did  not  raise  his  eyes  to  the 
Doctor,  but  sat,  a  familiar  culprit  awaiting  sentence,  with- 
out fear,  without  hope,  yet  not  without  a  certain  philo- 
sophical endurance  of  the  situation. 

"  Go  into  that  passage,"  said  the  Doctor,  lifting  his  head 
as  he  turned  a  page  of  his  ledger,  "and  on  the  shelf  you  '11 
find  some  clothing  stores  for  the  men.  Pick  out  something 
to  fit  you." 

The  tramp  arose,  moved  towards  the  passage,  and 
stopped.  "  It 's  for  the  job  only,  you  understand  ?  "  he 
said. 

"  For  the  job,"  answered  the  Doctor. 

The  tramp  returned  in  a  few  moments  with  overalls  and 
woolen  shirt  hanging  on  his  arm  and  a  pair  of  boots  and 
socks  in  his  hand.  The  Doctor  had  put  aside  his  pen. 
"  Now  go  into  that  room  and  change.  Stop !  First  wash 
the  dust  from  your  feet  in  that  bathroom." 

The  tramp  obeyed,  and  entered  the  room.  The  Doctor 
walked  to  the  door,  and  looked  out  reflectively  on  the 
paling  sky.  When  he  turned  again  he  noticed  that  the 


48  MARUJA 

'door  of  the  bathroom  was  opened,  and  the  tramp,  who  had 
changed  his  clothes  by  the  fading  light,  was  drying  his 
feet.  The  Doctor  approached,  and  stood  for  a  moment 
watching  him. 

"  What  >B  the  matter  with  your  foot  ?  "  l  he  asked, 
after  a  pause. 

"  Born  so." 

The  first  and  second  toe  were  joined  by  a  thin  mem- 
brane. 

"  Both  alike  ?  "  asked  the  Doctor. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  young  man,  exhibiting  the  other  foot. 

"  What  did  you  say  your  name  was  ?  " 

"I  didn't  say  it.  It's  Henry  Guest,  same  as  my 
father's." 

"Where  were  you  born  ?" 

"  Dentville,  Pike  County,  Missouri." 

"  What  was  your  mother's  name  ?  " 

"  Spalding,  I  reckon." 

"  Where  are  your  parents  now  ?  " 

"  Mother  got  divorced  from  father,  and  married  again 
down  South,  somewhere.  Father  left  home  twenty  years 
ago.  He 's  somewhere  in  California  —  if  he  ain't  dead." 

"  He  is  n't  dead." 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  " 

"  Because  I  am  Henry  Guest,  of  Dentville,  and  "  —  he 
stopped,  and  shading  his  eyes  with  his  hand  as  he  deliber- 
ately examined  the  tramp,  added  coldly  —  "  your  father, 
I  reckon." 

There  was  a  slight  pause.  The  young  man  put  down 
the  boot  he  had  taken  up.  "  Then  I  am  to  stay  here  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not.     Here  my  name  is   only  West,  and  I 

1  This  apparent  classical  plagiarism  is  actually  a  fact  of  identification 
on  record  in  the  California  Law  Reports.  It  is  therefore  unnecessary  for 
me  to  add  that  the  attendant  circumstances  and  characters  are  purely 
fictitious.— B.H, 


MARUJA  49 

have  no  son.  You  '11  go  on  to  San  Jose*,  and  stay  there 
until  I  look  into  this  thing.  You  have  n't  got  any  money, 
of  course  ?  "  he  asked,  with  a  scarcely  suppressed  sneer. 

"  I  've  got  a  little,"  returned  the  young  man. 

"  How  much  ?  " 

The  tramp  put  his  hand  into  his  hreast,  and  drew  out  a 
piece  of  folded  paper  containing  a  single  gold  coin. 

"  Five  dollars.  I  've  kept  it  a  month  ;  it  does  n't  cost 
much  to  live  as  I  do,"  he  added  dryly. 

"  There  's  fifty  more.  Go  to  some  hotel  in  San  Jose, 
and  let  me  know  where  you  are.  You  've  got  to  live,  and 
you  don't  want  to  work.  Well,  you  don't  seem  to  be  a 
fool ;  so  I  need  n't  tell  you  that  if  you  expect  anything 
from  me,  you  must  leave  this  matter  in  my  hands.  I  have 
chosen  to  acknowledge  you  to-day  of  my  own  free  will ; 
I  can  as  easily  denounce  you  as  an  impostor  to-morrow,  if 
I  choose.  Have  you  told  your  story  to  any  one  in  the 
valley  ?  " 

"  No." 

"See  that  you  don't,  then.  Before  you  go,  you  must 
answer  me  a  few  more  questions." 

He  drew  a  chair  to  his  table,  and  dipped  a  pen  in  the  ink, 
as  if  to  take  down  the  answers.  The  young  man,  finding 
the  only  chair  thus  occupied,  moved  the  Doctor's  books 
aside,  and  sat  down  on  the  table  beside  him. 

The  questions  were  repetitions  of  those  already  asked, 
but  more  in  detail,  and  thoroughly  practical  in  their  nature. 
The  answers  were  given  straightforwardly  and  unconcern- 
edly, as  if  the  subject  was  not  worth  the  trouble  of  inven- 
tion or  evasion.  It  was  difficult  to  say  whether  questioner 
or  answerer  took  least  pleasure  in  the  interrogation,  which 
might  have  referred  to  the  concerns  of  a  third  party.  Both, 
however,  spoke  disrespectfully  of  their  common  family, 
with  almost  an  approach  to  sympathetic  interest. 

"You  might  as  well  be  going  now,"  said  the  Doctor, 


50  MARUJA 

finally  rising.  "  You  can  stop  at  the  fonda,  about  two 
miles  further  on,  and  get  your  supper  and  bed,  if  you 
like." 

The  young  man  slipped  from  the  table,  and  lounged  to 
the  door.  The  Doctor  put  his  hands  in  his  pockets  and 
followed  him.  The  young  man,  as  if  in  unconscious  imita- 
tion, had  put  his  hands  in  his  pockets  also,  and  looked  at 
him. 

"  I  '11  hear  from  you,  then,  when  you  are  in  San  Jose  ?  " 
said  Dr.  West,  looking  past  him  into  the  grain,  with  a 
slight  approach  to  constraint  in  his  indifference. 

"  Yes  —  if  that 's  agreed  upon,"  returned  the  young 
man,  pausing  on  the  threshold.  A  faint  sense  of  some 
purely  conventional  responsibility  in  their  position  affected 
them  both.  They  would  have  shaken  hands  if  either  had 
offered  the  initiative.  A  sullen  consciousness  of  gratuitous 
rectitude  in  the  selfish  mind  of  the  father,  an  equally 
sullen  conviction  of  twenty  years  of  wrong  in  the  son, 
withheld  them  both.  Unpleasantly  observant  of  each 
other's  awkwardness,  they  parted  with  a  feeling  of  relief. 

Dr.  West  closed  the  door,  lit  his  lamp,  and  going  to  his 
desk,  folded  the  paper  containing  the  memoranda  he  had 
just  written  and  placed  it  in  his  pocket.  Then  he  sum- 
moned his  foreman.  The  man  entered,  and  glanced  around 
the  room  as  if  expecting  to  see  the  Doctor's  guest  still 
there. 

"  Tell  one  of  the  men  to  bring  round  t  Buckeye.' " 

The  foreman  hesitated.      "  Going  to  ride  to-night,  sir  ?  " 

"  Certainly  ;  I  may  go  as  far  as  Saltonstall's.  If  I  do, 
you  need  n't  expect  me  back  till  morning." 

"  Buckeye 's  mighty  fresh  to-night,  boss.  Kegularly 
bucked  his  saddle  clean  off  an  hour  ago,  and  there  ain't  a 
man  dare  exercise  him." 

"  I  '11  bet  he  don't  buck  his  saddle  off  with  me  on  it," 
said  the  Doctor  grimly.  "  Bring  him  along." 


MARUJA  51 

The  man  turned  to  go.  "  You  found  the  tramp  pow'ful 
lazy,  did  n't  ye  ?  " 

"  I  found  a  heap  more  in  him  than  in  some  that  call 
themselves  smart,"  said  Dr.  West,  unconsciously  setting 
up  an  irritable  defense  of  the  absent  one.  "  Hurry  up 
that  horse  ! " 

The  foreman  vanished.  The  Doctor  put  on  a  pair  of 
leather  leggings,  large  silver  spurs,  and  a  broad  soft- 
brimmed  hat,  but  made  no  other  change  in  his  usual  half- 
professional  conventional  garb.  He  then  went  to  the 
window  and  glanced  in  the  direction  of  the  highway. 
Now  that  his  son  was  gone,  he.  felt  a  faint  regret  that  he 
had  not  prolonged  the  interview.  Certain  peculiarities  in 
his  manner,  certain  suggestions  of  expression  in  his  face, 
speech,  and  gesture,  came  back  to  him  now  with  unsatisfied 
curiosity.  "  No  matter,"  he  said  to  himself ;  "  he  '11  turn 
up  soon  again  —  as  soon  as  I  want  him,  if  not  sooner.  He 
thinks  he 's  got  a  mighty  soft  thing  here,  and  he  is  n't 
going  to  let  it  go.  And  there  's  that  same  d — d  sullen 
dirty  pride  of  his  mother,  for  all  he  does  n't  cotton  to  her. 
Wonder  I  did  n't  recognize  it  at  first.  And  hoarding  up 
that  five  dollars  !  That  's  Jane's  brat,  all  over  !  And,  of 
course,"  he  added  bitterly,  "  nothing  of  me  in  him.  No ; 
nothing  !  Well,  well,  what 's  the  difference  ?  "  He  turned 
towards  the  door,  with  a  certain  sullen  defiance  in  his  face 
so  like  the  man  he  believed  he  did  not  resemble,  that  his 
foreman,  coming  upon  him  suddenly,  might  have  been 
startled  at  the  likeness.  Fortunately,  however,  Harrison 
was  too  much  engrossed  with  the  antics  of  the  irrepressible 
Buckeye,  which  the  hostler  had  just  brought  to  the  door,  to 
notice  anything  else.  The  arrival  of  the  horse  changed  the 
Doctor's  expression  to  one  of  more  practical  and  significant 
resistance.  With  the  assistance  of  two  men  at  the  head  of 
the  restive  brute,  he  managed  to  vault  into  the  saddle.  A 
few  wild  plunges  only  seemed  to  settle  him  the  firmer  in 


52  MARUJA 

his  seat  —  each  plunge  leaving  its  record  in  a  thin  red  line 
on  the  animal's  flanks,  made  by  the  cruel  spurs  of  its  rider. 
Any  lingering  desire  of  following  his  son's  footsteps  was 
quickly  dissipated  by  Buckeye,  who  promptly  bolted  in  the 
opposite  direction,  and  before  Dr.  West  could  gain  active 
control  over  him,  they  were  half  a  mile  on  their  way  to 
La  Mision  Perdida. 

Dr.  West  did  not  regret  it.  Twenty  years  ago  he  had 
voluntarily  abandoned  a  legal  union  of  mutual  unfaithful- 
ness and  misconduct,  and  allowed  his  wife  to  get  the  divorce 
he  might  have  obtained  for  equal  cause.  He  had  aban- 
doned to  her  the  issue  of  that  union  —  an  infant  son. 
Whatever  he  chose  to  do  now  was  purely  gratuitous ;  the 
only  hold  which  this  young  stranger  had  on  his  respect  was 
that  he  also  recognized  that  fact  with  a  cold  indifference 
equal  to  his  own.  At  present  the  half-savage  brute  he 
bestrode  occupied  all  his  attention.  Yet  he  could  not  help 
feeling  his  advancing  years  tell  upon  him  more  heavily  that 
evening;  fearless  as  he  was,  his  strength  was  no  longer 
equal  when  measured  with  the  untiring  youthful  malevo- 
lence of  his  unbroken  mustang.  For  a  moment  he  dwelt 
regretfully  on  the  lazy  half-developed  sinews  of  his  son  ; 
for  a  briefer  instant  there  flashed  across  him  the  thought 
that  those  sinews  ought  to  replace  his  own ;  ought  to  be  his 
to  lean  upon  —  that  thus,  and  thus  only,  could  he  achieve^ 
the  old  miracle  of  restoring  his  lost  youth  by  perpetuating 
his  own  power  in  his  own  blood  ;  and  he,  whose  profound 
belief  in  personality  had  rejected  all  hereditary  principle, 
felt  this  with  a  sudden  exquisite  pain.  But  his  horse,  per- 
haps recognizing  a  relaxing  grip,  took  that  opportunity  to 
(l  buck."  Curving  his  back  like  a  cat,  and  throwing  him- 
self into  the  air  with  an  unexpected  bound,  he  came  down 
with  four  stiff,  inflexible  legs,  and  a  shock  that  might  have 
burst  the  saddle-girths,  had  not  the  wily  old  man  as  quickly 
brought  the  long  rowels  of  his  spurs  together  and  fairly 


MARUJA  53 

locked  his  heels  under  Buckeye's  collapsing  barrel.  It  was 
the  mustang's  last  rebellious  struggle.  The  discomfited 
brute  gave  in,  and  darted  meekly  and  apologetically  for- 
ward, and,  as  it  were,  left  all  its  rider's  doubts  and  fears  far 
behind  in  the  vanishing  distance. 


CHAPTEE  V 

MEANWHILE,  the  subject  of  Dr.  West's  meditations  was 
slowly  making  his  way  along  the  highroad  towards  the 
fonda.  He  walked  more  erect  and  with  less  of  a  shuffle  in 
his  gait ;  hut  whether  this  was  owing  to  his  having  cast 
the  old  skin  of  garments  adapted  to  his  slouch,  and  because 
he  was  more  securely  shod,  or  whether  it  was  from  the  sud- 
den straightening  of  some  warped  moral  quality,  it  would 
have  been  difficult  to  say.  The  expression  of  his  face  cer- 
tainly gave  no  evidence  of  actual  and  prospective  good  for- 
tune ;  if  anything,  the  lines  of  discontent  around  his  brow 
and  mouth  were  more  strongly  drawn.  Apparently,  his 
interview  with  his  father  had  only  the  effect  of  reviving 
and  stirring  into  greater  activity  a  certain  dogged  sentiment 
that,  through  long  years,  had  become  languidly  mechanical. 
He  was  no  longer  a  beaten  animal,  but  one  roused  by  a 
chance  success  into  a  dangerous  knowledge  of  his  power. 
In  his  honest  workman's  dress,  he  was  infinitely  more  to  be 
feared  than  in  his  rags ;  in  the  lifting  of  his  downcast  eye, 
there  was  the  revelation  of  a  baleful  intelligence.  In  his 
changed  condition,  civilization  only  seemed  to  have  armed 
him  against  itself. 

The  fonda,  a  long  low  building,  with  a  red-tiled  roof 
extending  over  a  porch  or  whitewashed  veranda,  in  which 
drunken  vaqueros  had  been  known  to  occasionally  disport 
their  mustangs,  did  not  offer  a  very  reputable  appearance  to 
the  eye  of  young  Guest  as  he  approached  it  in  the  gathering 
shadows.  One  or  two  half-broken  horses  were  securely 
fastened  to  the  stout  cross-beams  of  some  heavy  posts  driven 


MARUJA  55 

in  the  roadway  before  it,  and  a  primitive  trough  of  roughly 
excavated  stone  stood  near  it.  Through  a  broken  gate  at  the 
side  there  was  a  glimpse  of  a  grass-grown  and  deserted  court- 
yard piled  with  the  disused  packing-cases  and  barrels  of  the 
tienda,  or  general  country  shop,  which  huddled  under  the 
same  roof  at  the  other  end  of  the  building.  The  opened 
door  of  the  fonda  showed  a  low-studded  room  fitted  up 
with  a  rude  imitation  of  an  American  bar  on  one  side,  and 
containing  a  few  small  tables,  at  which  half  a  dozen  men  were 
smoking,  drinking,  and  playing  cards.  The  faded  pictorial 
poster  of  the  last  bull-fight  at  Monterey  and  an  American 
"  Sheriff's  notice  "  were  hung  on  the  wall  and  in  the  door- 
way. A  thick  yellow  atmosphere  of  cigarette  smoke, 
through  which  the  inmates  appeared  like  brown  shadows, 
pervaded  the  room. 

The  young  man  hesitated  before  this  pestilential  interior, 
and  took  a  seat  on  a  bench  on  the  veranda.  After  a 
moment's  interval,  the  yellow  landlord  came  to  the  door 
with  a  look  of  inquiry,  which  Guest  answered  by  a  demand 
for  lodging  and  supper.  When  the  landlord  had  vanished 
again  in  the  cigarette  fog,  the  several  other  guests,  one  after 
the  other,  appeared  at  the  doorway,  with  their  cigarettes  in 
their  mouths  and  their  cards  still  in  their  hands,  and  gazed 
upon  him. 

There  may  have  been  some  excuse  for  their  curiosity. 
As  before  hinted,  Guest's  appearance  in  his  overalls  and 
woolen  shirt  was  somewhat  incongruous,  and  for  some 
inexplicable  reason,  the  same  face  and  figure  which  did  not 
look  inconsistent  in  rags  and  extreme  poverty  now  at  once 
suggested  a  higher  social  rank  both  of  intellect  and  refine- 
ment than  his  workman's  dress  indicated.  This,  added  to 
his  surliness  of  manner  and  expression,  strengthened  a 
growing  suspicion  in  the  mind  of  the  party  that  he  was  a 
fugitive  from  justice  —  a  forger,  a  derelict  banker,  or  possi- 
bly a  murderer.  It  is  only  fair  to  say  that  the  moral  sense 


56  MARUJA 

of  the  spectators  was  not  shocked  at  the  suspicion,  and  that 
a  more  active  sympathy  was  only  withheld  by  his  reticence. 
An  unfortunate  incident  seemed  to  complete  the  evidence 
against  him.  In  impatiently  responding  to  the  landlord's 
curt  demand  for  prepayment  of  his  supper,  he  allowed  three 
or  four  pieces  of  gold  to  escape  from  his  pocket  on  the  ve- 
randa. In  the  quick  glances  of  the  party,  as  he  stooped  to 
pick  them  up,  he  read  the  danger  of  his  carelessness. 

His  sullen  self-possession  did  not  seem  to  be  shaken. 
Calling  to  the  keeper  of  the  tienda,  who  had  appeared  at 
his  door  in  time  to  witness  the  Danae-like  shower,  he  bade 
him  approach,  in  English. 

"  What  sort  of  knives  have  you  got  ?  " 

"  Knives,  Senor  ?  " 

"Yes;  bowie-knives  or  dirks.  Knives  like  that,"  he 
said,  making  an  imaginary  downward  stroke  at  the  table 
before  him. 

The  shopkeeper  entered  the  tienda,  and  presently  reap- 
peared with  three  or  four  dirks  in  red  leather  sheaths. 
Guest  selected  the  heaviest,  and  tried  its  point  on  the 
table. 

"  How  much  ?  " 

"  Tres  pesos." 

The  young  man  threw  him  one  of  his  gold  pieces,  and 
slipped  the  knife  and  its  sheath  in  his  boot.  When  he  had 
received  his  change  from  the  shopkeeper,  he  folded  his 
arms  and  leaned  back  against  the  wall  in  quiet  indifference. 

The  simple  act  seemed  to  check  aggressive,  but  not  insin- 
uating interference.  In  a  few  moments  one  of  the  men 
appeared  at  the  doorway. 

"  It  is  fine  weather  for  ths  road,  little  comrade !  " 

Guest  did  not  reply. 

"  Ah  !  the  night,  it  ess  splendid,"  he  repeated  in  broken 
English,  rubbing  his  hands,  as  if  washing  in  the  air. 

Still  no  reply. 


MARUJA  57 

"  You  shall  come  from  Sank  Hosay  ?  " 

« I  shaVt." 

The  stranger  muttered  something  in  Spanish,  but  the 
landlord,  who  reappeared  to  place  Guest's  supper  on  a  table 
on  the  veranda,  here  felt  the  obligation  of  interfering  to 
protect  a  customer  apparently  so  aggressive  and  so  opulent. 
He  pushed  the  inquisitor  aside,  with  a  few  hasty  words, 
and  after  Guest  had  finished  his  meal,  offered  to  show  him 
his  room.  It  was  a  dark  vaulted  closet  on  the  ground-floor, 
gaining  light  from  the  stable-yard  through  a  barred  iron 
grating.  At  the  first  glimpse  it  looked  like  a  prison  cell ; 
looking  more  deliberately  at  the  black  tresseled  bed,  and 
the  votive  images  hanging  on  the  wall,  it  might  have  been 
a  tomb. 

"  It  is  the  best/7  said  the  landlord.  "  The  Padre  Vin- 
cento  will  have  none  other  on  his  journey." 

"  I  suppose  God  protects  him,"  said  Guest ;  "  that  door 
don't."  He  pointed  to  the  worm-eaten  door,  without  bolt 
or  fastening. 

"  Ah,  what  matter  !     Are  we  not  all  friends  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  responded  Guest,  with  his  surliest  manner, 
as  he  returned  to  the  veranda.  Nevertheless,  he  resolved 
not  to  occupy  the  cell  of  the  reverend  Padre  ;  not  from  any 
personal  fear  of  his  disreputable  neighbors,  though  he  was 
fully  alive  to  their  peculiarities,  but  from  the  nomadic  in- 
stinct which  was  still  strong  in  his  blood.  He  felt  he 
could  not  yet  bear  the  confinement  of  a  close  room  or  the 
propinquity  of  his  fellow  man.  He  would  rest  on  the  ve- 
randa until  the  moon  was  fairly  up,  and  then  he  would  again 
take  to  the  road. 

He  was  half  reclining  on  the  bench,  with  the  slowly  clos- 
ing and  opening  lids  of  some  tired  but  watchful  animal, 
when  the  sound  of  wheels,  voices,  and  clatter  of  hoofs  on 
the  highway  arrested  his  attention,  and  he  sat  upright. 
The  moon  was  slowly  lifting  itself  over  the  limitless  stretch 


58  MARUJA 

of  grain-fields  before  him  on  the  other  side  of  the  road,  and 
dazzling  him  with  its  level  lustre.  He  could  barely  discern 
a  cavalcade  of  dark  figures  and  a  large  vehicle  rapidly 
approaching,  before  it  drew  up  tumultuously  in  front  of  the 
fonda.  It  was  a  pleasure-party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  on 
horseback  and  in  a  four-horsed  char-a-bancs  returning  to  La 
Mision  Perdida.  Buchanan,  Raymond,  and  Gamier  were 
there  ;  Amita  and  Dorotea  in  the  body  of  the  char-a-bancs, 
and  Maruja  seated  on  the  box.  Much  to  his  own  astonish- 
ment and  that  of  some  others  of  the  party,  Captain  Carroll 
was  among  the  riders.  Only  Maruja  and  her  mother  knew 
that  he  was  recalled  to  refute  a  repetition  of  the  gossip  al- 
ready circulated  regarding  his  sudden  withdrawal ;  only 
Maruja  alone  knew  the  subtle  words  which  made  that  call 
so  potent  yet  so  hopeless. 

Maruja's  quick  eyes,  observant  of  everything,  even  under 
the  double  fire  of  Captain  Carroll  and  Gamier,  instantly 
caught  those  of  the  erect  figure  on  the  bench  in  the  veranda. 
Surely  that  was  the  face  of  the  tramp  she  had  spoken  to  ! 
and  yet  there  was  a  change  not  only  in  the  dress  but  in 
the  general  resemblance.  After  the  first  glance,  Guest  with- 
drew his  eyes  and  gazed  at  the  other  figures  in  the  char-a- 
bancs  without  moving  a  muscle. 

Maruja's  whims  and  caprices  were  many  and  original ; 
and  when,  after  a  sudden  little  cry  and  a  declaration  that 
she  could  stand  her  cramped  position  no  longer,  she  leaped 
from  the  box  into  the  road,  no  one  was  surprised.  Gar- 
nier  and  Captain  Carroll  quickly  followed. 

11 1  should  like  to  look  into  the  fonda  while  the  horses 
are  being  watered,"  she  said  laughingly,  "just  to  see  what 
it  is  that  attracts  Pereo  there  so  often."  Before  any  one 
could  restrain  this  new  caprice,  she  was  already  upon  the 
veranda. 

To  reach  the  open  door,  she  had  to  pass  so  near  Guest 
that  her  soft  white  flounces  brushed  his  knees,  and  the 


MARUJA  59 

flowers  in  her  girdle  left  their  perfume  in  his  face.  But 
he  neither  moved  nor  raised  his  eyes.  When  she  had 
passed,  he  rose  quietly  and  stepped  into  the  road. 

On  her  nearer  survey,  Maruja  was  convinced  it  was  the 
same  man.  She  remained  for  an  instant,  with  a  little  hand 
on  the  door-post.  "  What  a  horrid  place,  and  what  dread- 
ful people !  "  she  said  in  audible  English  as  she  glanced 
quickly  after  Guest.  "  Keally,  Pereo  ought  to  be  warned 
against  keeping  such  company.  Come,  let  us  go." 

She  contrived  to  pass  Guest  again  in  regaining  the  car- 
riage ;  but  in  the  few  moments'  further  delay  he  walked 
on  down  the  road  before  them,  and  by  the  time  they  were 
ready  to  start,  he  was  slowly  sauntering  some  hundred 
yards  ahead.  They  passed  him  at  a  rapid  trot,  but  the 
next  moment  the  char-a-bancs  was  suddenly  pulled  up. 

"  My  fan  !  "  cried  Maruja.  "  Blessed  Santa  Maria  !  — 
my  fan  !  " 

A  small  black  object,  seen  distinctly  in  the  moonlight, 
was  lying  on  the  road,  directly  in  the  track  of  the  saunter- 
ing stranger.  Gamier  attempted  to  alight ;  Carroll  reined 
in  his  horse. 

"  Stop,  all  of  you  !  "  said  Maruja  ;  "  that  man  will 
bring  it  to  me." 

It  seemed  as  if  he  would.  He  stopped  and  picked  it  up, 
and  approached  the  carriage.  Maruja  stood  up  in  her  seat, 
with  her  veil  thrown  back,  her  graceful  hand  extended,  her 
eyes  and  mouth  tremulous  with  an  irresistible  smile.  The 
stranger  came  nearer,  singled  out  Captain  Carroll,  tossed  the 
fan  to  him  with  a  slight  nod,  and  passed  on  the  other  side. 

"One  moment,"  said  Maruja,  almost  harshly,  to  the 
driver.  "  One  moment,"  she  continued,  drawing  her  purse 
from  her  pocket  brusquely.  "  Let  me  reward  this  civil 
gentleman  of  the  road  !  Here,  sir  ;  "  but  before  she  could 
continue,  Carroll  wheeled  to  her  side,  and  interposed. 
"  Pray  collect  yourself,  Miss  Saltonstall,  "  he  said  hur- 


60  MARUJA 

riedly  ;  "  you  cannot  tell  who  this  man  may  be.  He  does 
not  seem  to  be  one  who  would  insult  you,  or  whom  you 
would  insult  gratuitously." 

"  Give  me  the  fan,  Captain  Carroll,"  she  said,  with  a  soft 
and  caressing  smile.  "  Thank  you."  She  took  it,  and 
breaking  it  through  the  middle  between  her  gloved  hands, 
tossed  it  into  the  highway.  "  You  are  right  —  it  smells  of 
the  fonda  —  and  the  road.  Thank  you,  again.  You  are  so 
thoughtful  for  me,  Captain  Carroll,"  she  murmured,  raising 
her  eyes  gently  to  his,  and  then  suddenly  withdrawing  them 
with  a  half  sigh.  "But  I  am  keeping  you  all.  Go  on." 

The  carriage  rolled  away  and  Guest  returned  from  the 
hedge  to  the  middle  of  the  road.  San  Jose  lay  in  the 
opposite  direction  from  the  disappearing  calvacade ;  but  on 
leaving  the  fonda,  he  had  determined  to  lead  his  inquisitors 
astray  by  doubling  and  making  a  circuit  of  the  hostelry 
through  the  fields  hidden  in  the  tall  grain.  This  he  did, 
securely  passing  them  within  sound  of  their  voices,  and  was 
soon  well  on  his  way  again.  He  avoided  the  highway,  and 
striking  a  trail  through  the  meadows,  diverged  to  the  right, 
where  the  low  towers  and  brown  walls  of  a  ruined  mission 
church  rose  above  the  plain.  This  would  enable  him  to 
escape  any  direct  pursuit  on  the  highroad,  besides,  from  its 
slight  elevation,  giving  him  a  more  extended  view  of  the 
plain.  As  he  neared  it,  he  was  surprised  to  see  that, 
although  it  was  partly  dismantled,  and  the  roof  had  fallen 
in  the  central  aisle,  a  part  of  it  was  still  used  as  a  chapel, 
and  a  light  was  burning  behind  a  narrow  opening,  partly 
window  and  partly  shrine.  He  was  almost  upon  it,  when 
the  figure  of  a  man  who  had  been  kneeling  beneath,  with 
his  back  towards  him,  rose,  crossed  himself  devoutly,  and 
stood  upright.  Before  he  could  turn,  Guest  disappeared 
round  the  angle  of  the  wall,  and  the  tall  erect  figure  of  the 
solitary  worshiper  passed  on  without  heeding  him. 

But  if  Guest  had  been  successful  in  evading  the  observa- 


MAEUJA  61 

tion  of  the  man  he  had  come  so  suddenly  upon,  he  was 
utterly  unconscious  of  another  figure  that  had  been  track- 
ing him  for  the  last  ten  minutes  through  the  tall  grain, 
and  had  even  succeeded  in  gaining  the  shadow  of  the  wall 
behind  him  ;  and  it  was  this  figure,  and  not  his  own,  that 
eventually  attracted  the  attention  of  the  tall  stranger.  The 
pursuing  figure  was  rapidly  approaching  the  unconscious 
Guest ;  in  another  moment  it  would  have  been  upon  him, 
when  it  was  suddenly  seized  from  behind  by  the  tall  devo- 
tee. There  was  a  momentary  struggle,  and  then  it  freed 
itself,  with  the  exclamation,  "  Pereo  ! " 

"  Yes  —  Pereo ! "  said  the  old  man,  panting  from  his 
exertions.  "  And  thou  art  Miguel.  So  thou  wouldst  mur- 
der a  man  for  a  few  pesos !  "  he  said,  pointing  to  the  knife 
which  the  desperado  had  hurriedly  hid  in  his  jacket,  "  and 
callest  thyself  a  Calif ornian !  " 

"  'T  is  only  an  Americano  —  a  runaway,  with  some  ill- 
gotten  gold,"  said  Miguel  sullenly,  yet  with  unmistakable 
fear  of  the  old  man.  "  Besides,  it  was  only  to  frighten 
him,  the  braggart.  But  since  thou  fearest  to  touch  a  hair 
of  those  interlopers  "  — 

"  Fearest ! "  said  Pereo  fiercely,  clutching  him  by  the 
throat,  and  forcing  him  against  the  wall.  "  Fearest !  sayest 
thou.  I,  Pereo,  fear  ?  Dost  thou  think  I  would  soil  these 
hands,  that  might  strike  a  higher  quarry,  with  blood  of  thy 
game  ?  " 

"  Forgive  me,  padrono,"  gasped  Miguel,  now  thoroughly 
alarmed  at  the  old  man's  awakened  passion  ;  "  pardon  ;  I 
meant  that,  since  thou  knowest  him  "  — 

"  I  know  him  ?  "  repeated  Pereo  scornfally,  contemptu- 
ously throwing  Miguel  aside,  who  at  once  took  that  oppor- 
tunity to  increase  his  distance  from  the  old  man's  arm.  "  I 
know  him  ?  Thou  shalt  see.  Come  hither,  child,"  he 
called,  beckoning  to  Guest.  "  Come  hither,  thou  hast 
nothing  to  fear  now." 


62  MABUJA 

Guest,  who  had  been  attracted  by  the  sound  of  alterca- 
tion behind  him,  but  who  was  utterly  unconscious  of  its 
origin  or  his  own  relation  to  it,  came  forward  impatiently. 
As  he  did  so,  Miguel  took  to  his  heels.  The  act  did  not 
tend  to  mollify  Guest's  surly  suspicions,  and  pausing  a 
few  feet  from  the  old  man,  he  roughly  demanded  his  busi- 
ness with  him. 

Pereo  raised  his  head,  with  the  dignity  of  years  and 
habits  of  command.  The  face  of  the  young  man  confront- 
ing him  was  clearly  illuminated  by  the  moonlight.  Pereo's 
eyes  suddenly  dilated,  his  mouth  stiffened,  he  staggered 
back  against  the  wall. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  he  gasped  in  uncertain  English. 

Believing  himself  the  subject  of  some  drunkard's  pastime, 
Guest  replied  savagely,  "  One  who  has  enough  of  this 
d — d  nonsense,  and  will  stand  no  more  of  it  from  any 
one,  young  or  old,"  and  turned  abruptly  on  his  heel. 

"  Stay,  one  moment,  Senor,  for  the  love  of  God  !  " 

Some  keen  accent  of  agony  in  the  old  man's  voice  touched 
even  Guest's  selfish  nature.  He  halted. 

"  You  are  —  a  stranger  here  ?  "  faltered  Pereo.    "  Yes  ?  " 

"lam." 

"  You  do  not  live  here  ?  —  you  have  no  friends  ?  " 

"  I  told  you  I  am  a  stranger.  I  never  was  here  before  in 
my  life,"  said  Guest  impatiently. 

"  True  ;  I  am  a  fool,"  said  the  old  man,  hurriedly,  to  him- 
self. "  I  am  mad  —  mad  !  It  is  not  his  voice.  No  !  It 
is  not  his  look,  now  that  his  face  changes.  I  am  crazy." 
He  stopped,  and  passed  his  trembling  hands  across  his  eyes. 
"Pardon,  Senor,"  he  continued,  recalling  himself  with  a 
humility  that  was  almost  ironical  in  its  extravagance. 
"  Pardon,  pardon  !  Yet,  perhaps  it  is  not  too  much  to  have 
wanted  to  know  who  was  the  man  one  has  saved." 

"  Saved  !  "  repeated  Guest,  with  incredulous  contempt. 

"  Ay !  "  said  Pereo   haughtily,  drawing  his  figure  erect ; 


MARUJA  63 

"  ay,  saved  !  Senor."  He  stopped  and  shrugged  his  shoul- 
ders. "But  let  it  pass — I  say  —  let  it  pass.  Take  an  old 
man's  advice,  friend :  show  not  your  gold  hereafter  to 
strangers  lightly,  no  matter  how  lightly  you  have  come  by 
it.  Good-night !  " 

Guest  for  a  moment  hesitated  whether  to  resent  the  old 
man's  speech,  or  to  let  it  pass  as  the  incoherent  fancy  of  a 
brain  maddened  by  drink.  Then  he  ended  the  discussion 
by  turning  his  back  abruptly  and  continuing  his  way  to  the 
highroad. 

"  So ! "  said  Pereo,  looking  after  him  with  abstracted 
eyes,  "  so  !  it  was  only  a  fancy.  And  yet  —  even  now,  as 
he  turned  away,  I  saw  the  same  cold  insolence  in  his  eye. 
Caramba  !  Am  I  mad  —  mad  —  that  I  must  keep  forever 
before  my  eyes,  night  and  day,  the  image  of  that  dog  in 
every  outcast,  every  ruffian,  every  wayside  bully  that  I 
meet  ?  No,  no,  good  Pereo  !  Softly  !  this  is  mere  madness, 
good  Pereo,"  he  murmured  to  himself  ;  "  thou  wilt  have  none 
of  it ;  none,  good  Pereo.  Come,  come  !  "  He  let  his  head 
fall  slowly  forward  on  his  breast,  and  in  that  action,  seem- 
ing to  take  up  again  the  burden  of  a  score  more  years  upon 
his  shoulders,  he  moved  slowly  away. 

When  he  entered  the  fonda  half  an  hour  later,  the  awe 
in  which  he  was  held  by  the  half-superstitious  ruffians 
appeared  to  have  increased.  Whatever  story  the  fugitive 
Miguel  had  told  his  companions  regarding  Pereo's  protection 
of  the  young  stranger,  it  was  certain  that  it  had  its  full 
effect.  Obsequious  to  the  last  degree,  the  landlord  was  so 
profoundly  touched,  when  Pereo,  not  displeased  with  this 
evidence  of  his  power  over  his  countrymen,  condescendingly 
offered  to  click  glasses  with  him,  that  he  endeavored  to 
placate  him  still  further. 

"  It  is  a  pity  your  worship  was  not  here  earlier,"  he  be- 
gan, with  a  significant  glance  at  the  others,  "  to  have  seen  a 
gallant  young  stranger  that  was  here.  A  spice  of  wickedness 


64  MARUJA 

about  him,  truly  —  a  kind  of  Don  Caesar  —  but  bearing 
himself  like  a  very  caballero  always.  It  would  have  pleased 
your  worship,  who  likes  not  these  canting  Puritans  such  as 
our  neighbor  yonder." 

"Ah,"  said  Pereo  reflectively,  warming  under  the  potent 
fires  of  flattery  and  aguardiente,  "  possibly  I  have  seen  him. 
He  was  like  "  — 

"  Like  none  of  the  dogs  thou  hast  seen  about  San  Antonio," 
interrupted  the  landlord.  "  Scarcely  did-  he  seem  Ameri- 
cano, though  he  spoke  no  Spanish." 

The  old  man  chuckled  to  himself  viciously.  "And  thou, 
thou  old  fool,  Pereo,  must  needs  see  a  likeness  to  thine 
enemy  in  this  poor  runaway  child  —  this  fugitive  Don  Juan  ! 
He !  he !  "  Nevertheless,  he  still  felt  a  vague  terror  of  the 
condition  of  mind  which  had  produced  this  fancy,  and  drank 
so  deeply  to  dispel  his  nervousness  that  it  was  with  difficulty 
he  could  mount  his  horse  again.  The  exaltation  of  liquor, 
however,  appeared  only  to  intensify  his  characteristics :  his 
face  became  more  lugubrious  and  melancholy ;  his  manner 
more  ceremonious  and  dignified ;  and  erect  and  stiff  in  his 
saddle  from  the  waist  upwards,  but  leaning  from  side  to  side 
with  the  motion  of  his  horse,  like  the  tall  mast  of  some 
laboring  sloop,  he  "  loped  "  away  towards  the  House  of  the 
Lost  Mission.  Once  or  twice  he  broke  into  sentimental 
song.  Strangely  enough,  his  ditty  was  a  popular  Spanish 
refrain  of  some  matador's  aristocratic  inamorata  : — 

Do  you  see  my  black  eyes  ? 
I  am  Manuel's  Duchess,  — 

sang  Pereo,  with  infinite  gravity.  His  horse's  hoofs 
seemed  to  keep  time  with  the  refrain,  and  he  occasionally 
waved  in  the  air  the  long  leather  thong  of  his  bridle-rein. 

It  was  quite  late  when  he  reached  La  Mision  Perdida. 
Turning  into  the  little  lane  that  led  to  the  stable-yard,  he 
dismounted  at  a  gate  in  the  hedge  which  led  to  the  sum- 
mer-house of  the  old  Mision  garden,  and  throwing  his 


MARUJA  65 

reins  on  his  mustang's  neck,  let  the  animal  precede  him  to 
the  stables.  The  moon  shone  full  on  the  inclosure  as  he 
emerged  from  the  labyrinth.  With  uncovered  head  he 
approached  the  Indian  mound,  and  sank  on  his  knees  be- 
fore it. 

The  next  moment  he  rose,  with  an  exclamation  of  terror, 
and  his  hat  dropped  from  his  trembling  hand.  Directly 
before  him,  a  small,  gray,  wolfish-looking  animal  had 
stopped  halfway  down  the  mound  on  encountering  his 
motionless  figure.  Frightened  by  his  outcry,  and  unable 
to  retreat,  the  shadowy  depredator  had  fallen  back  on  his 
slinking  haunches  with  a  snarl,  and  bared  teeth  that  glit- 
tered in  the  moonlight. 

In  an  instant  the  expression  of  terror  on  the  old  man's 
ashen  face  turned  into  a  fixed  look  of  insane  exaltation. 
His  white  lips  moved;  he  advanced  a  step  further,  and 
held  out  both  hands  towards  the  crouching  animal. 

"  So  !  It  is  thou  —  at  last !  And  comest  thou  here 
thy  tardy  Pereo  to  chide  ?  Comest  thou,  too,  to  tell  the 
poor  old  man  his  heart  is  cold,  his  limbs  are  feeble,  his 
brain  weak  and  dizzy  ?  that  he  is  no  longer  fit  to  do  thy 
master's  work  ?  Ay,  gnash  thy  teeth  at  him !  Curse 
him  !  —  curse  him  in  thy  throat !  But  listen  !  —  listen, 
good  friend  —  I  will  tell  thee  a  secret  —  ay,  good  gray 
friar,  a  secret  —  such  a  secret !  A  plan,  all  mine  —  fresh 
from  this  old  gray  head  ;  ha  !  ha  !  —  all  mine  !  To  be 
wrought  by  these  poor  old  arms  ;  ha  !  ha !  All  mine  ! 
Listen !  " 

He  stealthily  made  a  step  nearer  the  affrighted  animal. 
With  a  sudden  sidelong  snap,  it  swiftly  bounded  by  his 
side,  and  vanished  in  the  thicket ;  and  Pereo,  turning 
wildly,  with  a  moan  sank  down  helplessly  on  the  grave  of 
his  forefathers. 


CHAPTER  VI 

To  the  open  chagrin  of  most  of  the  gentlemen  and  the 
unexpected  relief  of  some  of  her  own  sex,  Maruja,  after  an 
evening  of  more  than  usual  caprice  and  willfulness,  retired 
early  to  her  chamber.  Here  she  beguiled  Enriquita,  a 
younger  sister,  to  share  her  solitude  for  an  hour,  and  with 
a  new  and  charming  melancholy  presented  her  with  mature 
counsel  and  some  younger  trinkets  and  adornments. 

"  Thou  wilt  find  them  but  folly,  'Riquita ;  but  thou  art 
young,  and  wilt  outgrow  them  as  I  have.  I  am  sick  of 
the  Indian  beads,  everybody  wears  them  ;  but  they  seem 
to  suit  thy  complexion.  Thou  art  not  yet  quite  old  enough 
for  jewelry ;  but  take  thy  choice  of  these."  "  'Ruja," 
replied  Enriquita  eagerly,  "  surely  thou  wilt  not  give  up 
this  necklace  of  carved  amber,  that  was  brought  thee  from 
Manilla  ?  —  it  becomes  thee  so  !  Everybody  says  it.  All 
the  caballeros,  Raymond  and  Victor,  swear  that  it  sets  off 
thy  beauty  like  nothing  else."  "  When  thou  knowest 
men  better,'7  responded  Maruja  in  a  deep  voice,  "  thou 
wilt  care  less  for  what  they  say,  and  despise  what  they  do. 
Besides,  I  wore  it  to-day  —  and  —  I  hate  it."  "  But  what 
fan  wilt  thou  keep  thyself  ?  The  one  of  sandalwood 
thou  hadst  to-day  ? "  continued  Enriquita,  timidly  eying 
the  pretty  things  upon  the  table.  "  None,"  responded 
Maruja  didactically,  "  but  the  simplest,  which  I  shall  buy 
myself.  Truly,  it  is  time  to  set  one's  self  against  this 
extravagance.  Girls  think  nothing  of  spending  as  much 
upon  a  fan  as  would  buy  a  horse  and  saddle  for  a  poor 
man."  "  But  why  so  serious  to-night,  my  sister  ?  "  said 


MARUJA  67 

the  little  Enriquita,  her  eyes  filling  with  ready  tears.  "  It 
grieves  me/7  responded  Maruja  promptly,  "to  find  thee, 
like  the  rest,  giving  thy  soul  up  to  the  mere  glitter  of  the 
world.  However,  go,  child,  take  the  beads,  but  leave  the 
amber ;  it  would  make  thee  yellower  than  thou  art,  which 
the  Blessed  Virgin  forbid  !  Good-night !  " 

She  kissed  her  affectionately,  and  pushed  her  from  the 
room.  Nevertheless,  after  a  moment's  survey  of  her  lonely 
chamber,  she  hastily  slipped  on  a  pale  satin  dressing-gown, 
and  darting  across  the  passage,  dashed  into  the  bedroom  of 
the  youngest  Miss  Wilson,  haled  that  sentimental  brunette 
from  her  night  toilet,  dragged  her  into  her  own  chamber, 
and  enwrapping  her  in  a  huge  mantle  of  silk  and  gray  fur, 
fed  her  with  chocolates  and  chestnuts,  and  reclining  on  her 
sympathetic  shoulder,  continued  her  arraignment  of  the 
world  and  its  follies  until  nearly  daybreak. 

It  was  past  noon  when  Maruja  awoke,  to  find  Faquita 
standing  by  her  bedside  with  ill-concealed  impatience. 

"  I  ventured  to  awaken  the  Dona  Maruja,"  she  said,  with 
vivacious  alacrity,  "  for  news !  Terrible  news  !  The 
American,  Dr.  West,  is  found  dead  this  morning  in  the  San 
Josd  road ! " 

"  Dr.  West  dead  !  "  repeated  Maruja  thoughtfully,  but 
without  emotion. 

"  Surely  dead  —  very  dead.  He  was  thrown  from  his 
horse  and  dragged  by  the  stirrups  —  how  far,  the  Blessed 
Virgin  only  knows.  But  he  is  found  dead  —  this  Dr.  West 
—  his  foot  in  the  broken  stirrup,  his  hand  holding  a  piece 
of  the  bridle  !  I  thought  I  would  waken  the  Dona  Maruja, 
that  no  one  else  should  break  it  to  the  Dona  Maria." 

"  That  no  one  else  should  break  it  to  my  mother  ?  " 
repeated  Maruja  coldly.  "  What  mean  you,  girl  ?  " 

"  I  mean  that  no  stranger  should  tell  her,"  stammered 
Faquita,  lowering  her  bold  eyes. 

"  You  mean,"  said  Maruja  slowly,  "  that  no  silly,  star- 


68  MARUJA 

ing,  tongue-wagging  gossip  should  dare  to  break  upon  the 
morning  devotions  of  the  lady  mother  with  open-mouthed 
tales  of  horror  !  You  are  wise,  Faquita !  I  will  tell  her 
myself.  Help  me  to  dress." 

But  the  news  had  already  touched  the  outer  shell  of  the 
great  house,  and  little  groups  of  the  visitors  were  discussing 
it  upon  the  veranda.  For  once,  the  idle  badinage  of  a 
pleasure-seeking  existence  was  suspended ;  stupid  people 
with  facts  came  to  the  fore  ;  practical  people  with  inquir- 
ing minds  became  interesting  ;  servants  were  confidentially 
appealed  to ;  the  local  expressman  became  a  hero,  and  it 
was  even  noticed  that  he  was  intelligent  and  good  looking. 

"  What  makes  it  more  distressing,"  said  Raymond,  joining 
one  of  the  groups,  "  is,  that  it  appears  the  Doctor  visited 
Mrs.  Saltonstall  last  evening,  and  left  the  casa  at  eleven. 
Sanchez,  who  was  perhaps  the  last  person  who  saw  him 
alive,  says  that  he  noticed  his  horse  was  very  violent,  and 
the  Doctor  did  not  seem  able  to  control  him.  The  accident 
probably  happened  half  an  hour  later,  as  he  was  picked  up 
about  three  miles  from  here,  and  from  appearances  must 
have  been  dragged,  with  his  foot  in  the  stirrup,  fully  half 
a  mile  before  the  girth  broke  and  freed  the  saddle  and 
stirrup  together.  The  mustang,  with  nothing  on  but  his 
broken  bridle,  was  found  grazing  at  the  rancho  as  early  as 
four  o'clock,  an  hour  before  the  body  of  his  master  was 
discovered  by  the  men  sent  from  the  rancho  to  look  for 
him." 

"  Eh,  but  the  man  must  have  been  clean  daft  to  have 
trusted  himself  to  one  of  those  savage  beasts  of  the  coun- 
try," said  Mr.  Buchanan.  "And  he  was  no  so  young 
either  —  about  sixty,  I  should  say.  It  didna  look  even 
respectable,  I  remember,  when  we  met  him  the  other  day, 
careering  over  the  country  for  all  the  world  like  one  of 
those  crazy  Mexicans.  And  yet  he  seemed  steady  and  sen- 
sible enough  when  he  didna  let  his  schemes  of  '  improve- 


MARUJA  69 

merits'  run  away  with  him  like  yon  furious  beastie.  Eh 
well,  puir  man  —  it  was  a  sudden  ending  !  And  his  family 
—  eh  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  he  has  one  —  at  least  here/7  said  R-ay- 
mond.  "  You  can't  always  tell  in  California.  I  believe 
he  was  a  widower." 

"  Ay,  man,  but  the  heirs ;  there  must  be  considerable 
property  ?  "  said  Buchanan  impatiently. 

"  Oh,  the  heirs.  If  he  's  made  no  will,  which  does  n't 
look  like  so  prudent  and  practical  a  man  as  he  was  —  the 
heirs  will  probably  crop  up  some  day.'7 

"  Probably !  crop  up  some  day,"  repeated  Buchanan 
aghast. 

"  Yes.  You  must  remember  that  we  don't  take  heirs 
quite  as  much  into  account  as  you  do  in  the  old  country. 
The  loss  of  the  man,  and  how  to  replace  him,  is  much 
more  to  us  than  the  disposal  of  his  property.  Now,  Dr. 
West  was  a  power  far  beyond  his  actual  possessions  —  and 
we  will  know  very  soon  how  much  those  were  dependent 
upon  him." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Buchanan  anxiously. 

"  I  mean  that  five  minutes  after  the  news  of  the  Doctor's 
death  was  confirmed,  your  friend  Mr.  Stanton  sent  a  mes- 
senger with  a  dispatch  to  the  nearest  telegraphic  office,  and 
that  he  himself  drove  over  to  catch  Aladdin  before  the 
news  could  reach  him." 

Buchanan  looked  uneasy ;  so  did  one  or  two  of  the 
native  Californians  who  composed  the  group,  and  who  had 
been  listening  attentively.  "  And  where  is  this  same  tele- 
graphic office  ?  "  asked  Buchanan  cautiously. 

"  I  '11  drive  you  over  there  presently,"  responded  Ray- 
mond grimly.  "  There  '11  be  nothing  doing  here  to-day.  As 
Dr.  West  was  a  near  neighbor  of  the  family,  his  death  sus- 
pends our  pleasure-seeking  until  after  the  funeral." 

Mr.  Buchanan  moved  away.     Captain  Carroll  and  Gar- 


70  MARUJA 

nier  drew  nearer  the  speaker.  "  I  trust  it  will  not  withdraw 
from  us  the  society  of  Miss  Saltonstall,"  said  Gamier 
lightly  —  "at  least,  that  she  will  not  be  inconsolable." 

"  She  did  not  seem  to  be  particularly  sympathetic  with 
Dr.  West  the  other  day/7  said  Captain  Carroll,  coloring 
slightly  with  the  recollection  of  the  morning  in  the  sum- 
mer-house, yet  willing,  in  his  hopeless  passion,  even  to 
share  that  recollection  with  his  rival.  "  Did  you  not  think 
so,  Monsieur  Gamier  ?  " 

"  Very  possibly  ;  and  as  Miss  Saltonstall  is  quite  artless 
and  childlike  in  the  expression  of  her  likes  and  dislikes," 
said  Raymond,  with  the  faintest  touch  of  irony,  "  you  can 
judge  as  well  as  I  can.'7 

Gamier  parried  the  thrust  lightly.  "  You  are  no  kinder 
to  our  follies  than  you  are  to  the  grand  passions  of  these 
gentlemen.  Confess,  you  frightened  them  horribly.  You 
are  —  what  is  called  —  a  bear  —  eh  ?  You  depreciate  in 
the  interests  of  business.77 

Raymond  did  not  at  first  appear  to  notice  the  sarcasm. 
"  I  only  stated,7'  he  said  gravely,  "  that  which  these  gen- 
tlemen will  find  out  for  themselves  before  they  are  many 
hours  older.  Dr.  West  was  the  brain  of  the  country,  as 
Aladdin  is  its  life-blood.  It  only  remains  to  be  seen  how 
far  the  loss  of  that  brain  affects  the  county.  The  Stock 
Exchange  market  in  San  Francisco  will  indicate  that  to-day 
in  the  shares  of  the  San  Antonio  and  Soquel  Railroad  and 
the  West  Mills  and  Manufacturing  Co.  It  is  a  matter  that 
may  affect  even  our  friends  here.  Whatever  West's  social 
standing  was  in  this  house,  lately  he  was  in  confidential 
business  relations  with  Mrs.  Saltonstall.'7  He  raised  his 
eyes  for  the  first  time  to  Gamier  as  he  added  slowly,  "  It 
is  to  be  hoped  that  if  our  hostess  has  no  social  reasons  to 
deplore  the  loss  of  Dr.  West,  she  at  least  will  have  no 
other.77 

With  a  lover's  instinct,  conscious  only  of  some  annoy- 


MARUJA  71 

ance  to  Maruja,  in  all  this,  Carroll  anxiously  looked  for  her 
appearance  among  the  others.  He  was  doomed  to  disap- 
pointment, however.  His  half-timid  inquiries  only  resulted 
in  the  information  that  Maruja  was  closeted  with  her 
mother.  The  penetralia  of  the  casa  was  only  accessible  to 
the  family  ;  yet  as  he  wandered  uneasily  about,  he  could 
not  help  passing  once  or  twice  before  the  quaint  low  arch- 
way, with  its  grated  door,  that  opened  from  the  central 
hall.  His  surprise  may  be  imagined  when  he  suddenly 
heard  his  name  uttered  in  a  low  voice  ;  and  looking  up,  he 
beheld  the  soft  eyes  of  Maruja  at  the  grating. 

She  held  the  door  partly  open  with  one  little  hand,  and 
made  a  sign  for  him  to  enter  with  the  other.  When  he 
had  done  so,  she  said,  "  Come  with  me,"  and  preceded  him 
down  the  dim  corridor.  His  heart  beat  thickly  ;  the  in- 
cense of  this  sacred  inner  life,  with  its  faint  suggestion  of 
dead  rose  leaves,  filled  him  with  a  voluptuous  languor ;  his 
breath  was  lost,  as  if  a  soft  kiss  had  taken  it  away ;  his 
senses  swam  in  the  light  mist  that  seemed  to  suffuse  every- 
thing. His  step  trembled  as  she  suddenly  turned  aside, 
and,  opening  a  door,  ushered  him  into  a  small  vaulted 
chamber. 

In  the  first  glance  it  seemed  to  be  an  oratory  or  chapel. 
A  large  gold  and  ebony  crucifix  hung  on  the  wall.  There 
was  a  priedieu  of  heavy  dark  mahogany  in  the  centre  of 
the  tiled  floor  ;  there  was  a  low  ottoman  or  couch,  covered 
with  a  mantle  of  dark  violet  velvet,  like  a  pall ;  there  were 
two  quaintly  carved  stiff  chairs ;  a  religious,  almost  ascetic, 
air  pervaded  the  apartment ;  but  no  dreamy  Eastern  seraglio 
could  have  affected  him  with  an  intoxication  so  profoundly 
and  mysteriously  sensuous. 

Maruja  pointed  to  a  chair,  and  then,  with  a  peculiarly 
feminine  movement,  placed  herself  sideways  upon  the  otto- 
man, half  reclining  on  her  elbow  on  a  high  cushion,  her 
deep  billowy  flounces  partly  veiling  the  funereal  velvet  be- 


72  MARUJA 

low.  Her  oval  face  was  pale  and  melancholy,  her  eyes 
moist  as  if  with  recent  tears  ;  an  expression  as  of  troubled 
passion  lurked  in  their  depths  and  in  the  corners  of  her 
mouth.  Scarcely  knowing  why,  Carroll  fancied  that  thus 
she  might  appear  if  she  were  in  love  j  and  the  daring 
thought  made  him  tremble. 

"  I  wanted  to  speak  with  you  alone,"  she  said  gently, 
as  if  in  explanation  ;  "  but  don't  look  at  me  so.  I  have 
had  a  bad  night,  and  now  this  calamity,"  —  she  stopped, 
and  then  added  softly,  "  I  want  you  to  do  a  favor  for  — 
my  mother  ?  " 

Captain  Carroll,  with  an  effort,  at  last  found  his  voice. 
"  But  you  are  in  trouble  ;  you  are  suffering.  I  had  no  idea 
this  unfortunate  affair  came  so  near  to  you." 

"  Nor  did  I,"  said  Maruja,  closing  her  fan  with  a  slight 
snap.  "I  knew  nothing  of  it  until  my  mother  told  me 
this  morning.  To  be  frank  with  you,  it  now  appears  that 
Dr.  West  was  her  most  intimate  business  adviser.  All  her 
affairs  were  in  his  hands.  I  cannot  explain  how,  or  why, 
or  when ;  but  it  is  so." 

"  And  is  that  all  ?  "  said  Carroll,  with  boyish  openness 
of  relief.  "  And  you  have  no  other  sorrow  ?" 

In  spite  of  herself,  a  tender  smile,  such  as  she  might 
have  bestowed  on  an  impulsive  boy,  broke  on  her  lips. 
"  And  is  that  not  enough  ?  What  would  you  ?  No  — 
sit  where  you  are  !  We  are  here  to  talk  seriously.  And 
you  do  not  ask  what  is  this  favor  my  mother  wishes  ?  " 

"  No  matter  what  it  is,  it  shall  be  done,"  said  Carroll 
quickly.  "  I  am  your  mother's  slave  if  she  will  but  let 
me  serve  at  your  side.  Only,"  he  paused,  "  I  wish  it  was 
not  business  —  I  know  nothing  of  business." 

"  If  it  were  only  business,  Captain  Carroll,"  said  Maruja 
slowly,  "  I  would  have  spoken  to  Raymond  or  the  Senor 
Buchanan  ;  if  it  were  only  confidence,  Pereo,  our  major- 
domo,  would  have  dragged  himself  from  his  sick-bed  this 


MARUJA  73 

morning  to  do  my  mother's  bidding.  But  it  is  more  than 
that  —  it  is  the  functions  of  a  gentleman  —  and  my  mother, 
Captain  Carroll,  would  like  to  say  of  —  a  friend." 

He  seized  her  hand  and  covered  it  with  kisses.  She 
withdrew  it  gently. 

"  What  have  I  to  do  ?  "  he  asked  eagerly. 

She  drew  a  note  from  her  belt.  "  It  is  very  simple. 
You  must  ride  over  to  Aladdin  with  that  note.  You  must 
give  it  to  him  alone  —  more  than  that,  you  must  not  let 
any  one  who  may  be  there  think  you  are  making  any  but  a 
social  call.  If  he  keeps  you  to  dine  —  you  must  stay  — 
you  will  bring  back  anything  he  may  give  you,  and  deliver 
it  to  me  secretly  for  her." 

"Is  that  all  ?  "  asked  Carroll,  with  a  slight  touch  of  dis- 
appointment in  his  tone. 

"  No,"  said  Maruja,  rising  impulsively.  "  No,  Captain 
Carroll  —  it  is  not  all !  And  you  shall  know  all,  if  only 
to  prove  to  you  how  we  confide  in  you  —  and  to  leave  you 
free,  after  you  have  heard  it,  to  do  as  you  please."  She 
stood  before  him,  quite  white,  opening  and  shutting  her  fan 
quickly,  and  tapping  the  tiled  floor  with  her  little  foot.  "  I 
have  told  you  Dr.  West  was  my  mother's  business  adviser. 
She  looked  upon  him  as  more  —  as  a  friend.  Do  you  know 
what  a  dangerous  thing  it  is  for  a  woman  who  has  lost  one 
protector  to  begin  to  rely  upon  another  ?  Well,  my  mother 
is  not  yet  old.  Dr.  West  appreciated  her  —  Dr.  West  did 
not  depreciate  himself  —  two  things  that  go  far  with  a 
woman,  Captain  Carroll,  and  my  mother  is  a  woman."  She 
paused,  and  then,  with  a  light  toss  of  her  fan,  said  :  "  Well, 
to  make  an  end,  but  for  this  excellent  horse  and  this  too 
ambitious  rider,  one  knows  not  how  far  the  old  story  of  my 
mother's  first  choice  would  have  been  repeated,  and  the 
curse  of  Koorotora  again  fallen  on  the  land." 

"  And  you  tell  me  this  —  you,  Maruja  —  you  who 
warned  me  against  my  hopeless  passion  for  you  ?  " 


74  MARUJA 

"  Could  I  foresee  this  ?  "  ske  said  passionately ;  "  and 
are  you  mad  enough  not  to  see  that  this  very  act  would 
have  made  your  suit  intolerable  to  my  relations  ?  " 

"  Then  you  did  think  of  my  suit,  Maruja  ?  "  he  said, 
grasping  her  hand. 

"  Or  any  one's  suit,"  she  continued  hurriedly,  turning 
away  with  a  slight  increase  of  color  in  her  cheeks.  After  a 
moment's  pause,  she  added,  in  a  gentler  and  half-reproachful 
voice,  "  Do  you  think  I  have  confided  my  mother's  story 
to  you  for  this  purpose  only  ?  Is  this  the  help  you  proffer  ?  " 

"  Forgive  me,  Maruja,"  said  the  young  officer  earnestly. 
"  I  am  selfish,  I  know  —  for  I  love  you.  But  you  have 
not  told  me  yet  how  I  could  help  your  mother  by  delivering 
this  letter,  which  any  one  could  do." 

"  Let  me  finish,  then,"  said  Maruja.  "  It  is  for  you  to 
judge  what  may  be  done.  Letters  have  passed  between  my 
mother  and  Dr.  West.  My  mother  is  imprudent ;  I  know 
not  what  she  may  have  written,  or  what  she  might  not 
write,  in  confidence.  But  you  understand,  they  are  not 
letters  to  be  made  public  nor  to  pass  into  any  hands  but 
hers.  They  are  not  to  be  left  to  be  bandied  about  by  his 
American  friends  ;  to  be  commented  upon  by  strangers  ;  to 
reach  the  ears  of  the  Guitierrez.  They  belong  to  that  grave 
which  lies  between  the  Past  and  my  mother  ;  they  must  not 
rise  from  it  to  haunt  her." 

"  I  understand,"  said  the  young  officer  quietly.  "  This 
letter,  then,  is  my  authority  to  recover  them  ?  " 

"Partly,  though  it  refers  to  other  matters.  This  Mr. 
Prince,  whom  you  Americans  call  Aladdin,  was  a  friend  of 
Dr.  West ;  they  were  associated  in  business,  and  he  will 
probably  have  access"  to  his  papers.  The  rest  we  must 
leave  to  you." 

"  I  think  you  may,"  said  Carroll  simply. 

Maruja  stretched  out  her  hand.  The  young  man  bent 
over  it  respectfully  and  moved  towards  the  door. 


MARUJA  75 

She  had  expected  him  to  make  some  protestation  —  per- 
haps even  to  claim  some  reward.  But  the  instinct  which 
made  him  forbear  even  in  thought  to  take  advantage  of  the 
duty  laid  upon  him,  which  dominated  even  his  miserable 
passion  for  her,  and  made  it  subservient  to  his  exaltation  of 
honor  ;  this  epaulet  of  the  officer,  and  blood  of  the  gentle- 
man, this  simple  possession  of  knighthood  not  laid  on  by 
perfunctory  steel,  but  springing  from  within  —  all  this,  I 
grieve  to  say,  was  partly  unintelligible  to  Maruja,  and  not 
entirely  satisfactory.  Since  he  had  entered  the  room  they 
seemed  to  have  changed  their  situations  ;  he  was  no  longer 
the  pleading  lover  that  trembled  at  her  feet.  For  one  base 
moment  she  thought  it  was  the  result  of  his  knowledge  of 
her  mother's  weakness  ;  but  the  next  instant,  meeting  his 
clear  glance,  she  colored  with  shame.  Yet  she  detained 
him  vaguely  a  moment  before  the  grated  door  in  the  secure 
shadow  of  the  arch.  He  might  have  kissed  her  there  ! 
He  did  not. 

In  the  gloomy  stagnation  of  the  great  house,  it  was  natu- 
ral that  he  should  escape  from  it  for  a  while,  and  the 
saddling  of  his  horse  for  a  solitary  ride  attracted  no  atten- 
tion. But  it  might  have  been  noticed  that  his  manner  had 
lost  much  of  that  nervous  susceptibility  and  anxiety  which 
indicates  a  lover ;  and  it  was  with  a  return  of  his  profes- 
sional coolness  and  precision  that  he  rode  out  of  the  patio 
as  if  on  parade.  Erect,  observant,  and  self-possessed,  he- 
felt  himself  "  on  duty,"  and  putting  spurs  to  his  horse, 
cantered  along  the  highroad,  finding  an  inexpressible  re- 
lief in  motion.  He  was  doing  something  in  the  interest 
of  helplessness  and  of  her.  He  had  no  doubt  of  his  right 
to  interfere.  He  did  not  bother  himself  with  the  rights 
of  others.  Like  all  self-contained  men,  he  had  no  plan 
of  action,  except  what  the  occasion  might  suggest. 

He  was  more  than  two  miles  from  La  Mision  Perdida, 
when  his  quick  eye  was  attracted  by  a  saddle-blanket  lying 
in  the  roadside  ditch.  A  recollection  of  the  calamity  of  the 


76  MARUJA 

previous  night  made  him  rein  in  his  horse  and  examine  it. 
It  was  without  doubt  the  saddle-blanket  of  Dr.  West's 
horse,  lost  when  the  saddle  came  off,  after  the  Doctor's 
body  had  been  dragged  by  the  runaway  beast.  But  a  sec- 
ond fact  forced  itself  equally  upon  the  young  officer.  It 
was  lying  nearly  a  mile  from  the  spot  where  the  body  had 
been  picked  up.  This  certainly  did  not  agree  with  the  ac- 
cepted theory  that  the  accident  had  taken  place  further  on, 
and  that  the  body  had  been  dragged  until  the  saddle  came 
off  where  it  was  found.  His  professional  knowledge  of 
equitation  and  the  technique  of  accoutrements  exploded  the 
idea  that  the  saddle  could  have  slipped  here,  the  saddle- 
blanket  fallen,  and  the  horse  have  run  nearly  a  mile  ham- 
pered by  the  saddle  hanging  under  him.  Consequently,  the 
saddle,  blanket,  and  unfortunate  rider  must  have  been  pre- 
cipitated together,  and  at  the  same  moment,  on  or  near 
this  very  spot.  Captain  Carroll  was  not  a  detective  ;  he 
had  no  theory  to  establish,  no  motive  to  discover,  only  as 
an  officer,  he  would  have  simply  rejected  any  excuse  offered 
on  those  terms  by  one  of  his  troopers  to  account  for  a  simi- 
lar accident.  He  troubled  himself  with  no  further  deduc- 
tion. Without  dismounting,  he  gave  a  closer  attention  to 
the  marks  of  struggling  hoofs  near  the  edge  of  the  ditch, 
which  had  not  yet  been  obliterated  by  the  daily  travel.  In 
doing  so,  his  horse's  hoof  struck  a  small  object  partly  hid- 
den in  the  thick  dust  of  the  highway.  It  seemed  to  be  a 
leather  letter  or  memorandum  case  adapted  for  the  breast 
pocket.  Carroll  instantly  dismounted  and  picked  it  up. 
The  name  and  address  of  Dr.  West  were  legibly  written  on 
the  inside.  It  contained  a  few  papers  and  notes,  but  no- 
thing more.  The  possibility  that  it  might  disclose  the  let- 
ters he  was  seeking  was  a  hope  quickly  past.  It  was  only 
a  corroborative  fact  that  the  accident  had  taken  place  on 
the  spot  where  he  was  standing.  He  was  losing  time  ;  he 
hurriedly  put  the  book  in  his  pocket,  and  once  more 
spurred  forward  on  his  road. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  exterior  of  Aladdin's  Palace,  familiar  as  it  already 
was  to  Carroll,  struck  him  that  afternoon  as  looking  more 
than  usually  unreal,  ephemeral,  and  unsubstantial.  The 
Moorish  arches,  of  the  thinnest  white  pine ;  the  arabesque 
screens  and  lattices  that  looked  as  if  made  of  pierced  card- 
board ;  the  golden  minarets  that  seemed  to  be  glued  to  the 
shell-like  towers,  and  the  hollow  battlements  that  visibly 
warped  and  cracked  in  the  fierce  sunlight,  —  all  appeared 
more  than  ever  like  a  theatrical  scene  that  might  sink 
through  the  ground,  or  vanish  on  either  side  to  the  sound 
of  the  prompter's  whistle.  Recalling  Raymond's  cynical 
insinuations,  he  could  not  help  fancying  that  the  house  had 
been  built  by  a  conscientious  genie  with  a  view  to  the  pos- 
sibility of  the  lamp  and  the  ring  passing,  with  other  effects, 
into  the  hands  of  the  sheriff. 

Nevertheless,  the  servant  who  took  Captain  Carroll's 
horse  summoned  another  domestic,  who  preceded  him  into 
a  small  waiting-room  off  the  gorgeous  central  hall,  which 
looked  not  unlike  the  private  bar-room  of  a  first-class  hotel, 
and  presented  him  with  a  sherry  cobbler.  It  was  a  pecu- 
liarity of  Aladdin's  Palace  that  the  host  seldom  did  the 
honors  of  his  own  house,  but  usually  deputed  the  task  to 
some  friend,  and  generally  the  last  newcomer.  Carroll  was 
consequently  not  surprised  when  he  was  presently  joined 
by  an  utter  stranger,  who  again  pressed  upon  him  the 
refreshment  he  had  just  declined.  "  You  see,"  said  the 
transitory  host,  "  1 7m  a  stranger  myself  here,  and  have  n't 
got  the  ways  of  the  regular  customers ;  but  call  for  anything 


78  MARUJA 

you  like,  and  I  '11  see  it  got  for  you.  Jim "  (the  actual 
Christian  name  of  Aladdin)  "  is  headin'  a  party  through  the 
stables.  Would  you  like  to  join  'em  —  they  ain't  more  than 
half  through  now  —  or  will  you  come  right  to  the  billiard- 
room  —  the  latest  thing  out  in  stained  glass  and  iron  —  ez 
pretty  as  fresh  paint  ?  or  will  you  meander  along  to  the 
bridal  suite,  and  see  the  bamboo  and  silver  dressing-room, 
and  the  white  satin  and  crystal  bed  that  cost  fifteen  thousand 
dollars  as  it  stands.  Or,"  he  added  confidentially,  "  would 
you  like  to  cut  the  whole  cussed  thing,  and  I  '11  get  out 
Jim's  2.32  trotter  and  his  spider-legged  buggy,  and  we  '11 
take  a  spin  over  to  the  Springs  afore  dinner  ?  "  It  was, 
however,  more  convenient  to  Carroll's  purpose  to  conceal 
his  familiarity  with  the  Aladdin  treasures,  and  to  politely 
offer  to  follow  his  guide  through  the  house.  "  I  reckon 
Jim's  pretty  busy  just  now,"  continued  the  stranger ;  "  what 
with  old  Doc  West  going  under  so  suddent,  just  ez  he  'd  got 
things  boomin'  with  that  railroad  and  his  manufactory  com- 
pany. The  stocks  went  down  to  nothing  this  morning; 
and  'twixt  you  and  me,  the  boys  say,"  he  added,  mysteri- 
ously sinking  his  voice,  "  it  was  jest  the  tightest  squeeze 
there  whether  there  wouldn't  be  a  general  burst-up  all 
round.  But  Jim  was  over  at  San  Antonio  afore  the  Doctor's 
body  was  laid  out ;  just  ran  that  telegraph  himself  for  about 
two  hours ;  had  a  meeting  of  trustees  and  directors  afore  the 
Coroner  came ;  had  the  Doctor's  books  and  papers  brought 
over  here  in  a  buggy,  and  another  meeting  before  luncheon. 
Why,  by  the  time  the  other  fellows  began  to  drop  in  to 
know  if  the  Doctor  was  really  dead,  Jim  Prince  had  dis- 
counted the  whole  affair  two  years  ahead.  Why,  bless  you, 
nearly  everybody  is  in  it.  That  Spanish  woman  over  there, 
with  the  pretty  daughter  —  that  high-toned  Greaser  with 
the  big  house  —  you  know  who  I  mean  "... 

"  I  don't  think  I  do,"  said  Carroll  coldly.      "  I  know  a 
lady  named  Saltonstall,  with  several  daughters." 


MARUJA  79 

"  That 's  her ;  thought  1 'd  seen  you  there  once.  Well, 
the  Doctor 's  got  her  into  it,  up  to  the  eyes.  I  reckon  she 's 
mortgaged  everything  to  him." 

It  required  all  Carroll's  trained  self-possession  to  prevent 
his  garrulous  guide  from  reading  his  emotion  in  his  face. 
This,  then,  was  the  secret  of  Maruja's  melancholy.  Poor 
child !  how  bravely  she  had  borne  up  under  it ;  and  he,  in 
his  utter  selfishness,  had  never  suspected  it.  Perhaps  that 
letter  was  her  delicate  way  of  breaking  the  news  to  him,  for 
he  should  certainly  now  hear  it  all  from  Aladdin's  lips. 
And  this  man,  who  evidently  had  succeeded  to  the  control 
of  Dr.  West's  property,  doubtless  had  possession  of  the 
letters  too  !  Humph !  He  shut  his  lips  firmly  together, 
and  strode  along  by  the  side  of  his  innocent  guide,  erect  and 
defiant. 

He  did  not  have  long  to  wait.  The  sound  of  voices,  the 
opening  of  doors,  and  the  trampling  of  feet  indicated  that 
the  other  party  were  being  "  shown  over  "  that  part  of  the 
building  Carroll  and  his  companion  were  approaching. 

"  There 's  Jim  and  his  gang  now,"  said  his  cicerone ; 
"  I  '11  tell  him  you  're  here,  and  step  out  of  this  show  busi- 
ness myself.  So  long!  I  reckon  I'll  see  you  at  dinner." 
At  this  moment  Prince  and  a  number  of  ladies  and  gentle- 
men appeared  at  the  further  end  of  the  hall ;  his  late  guide 
joined  them,  and  apparently  indicated  Carroll's  presence,  as, 
with  a  certain  lounging,  off-duty,  officer-like  way,  the  young 
man  sauntered  on. 

Aladdin,  like  others  of  his  class,  objected  to  the  military, 
theoretically  and  practically ;  but  he  was  not  above  recog- 
nizing their  social  importance  in  a  country  of  no  society, 
and  of  being  fascinated  by  Carroll's  quiet  and  secure  self- 
possession  and  self -contentment  in  a  community  of  restless 
ambition  and  aggressive  assertion.  He  came  forward  to 
welcome  him  cordially ;  he  introduced  him  with  an  air  of 
satisfaction ;  he  would  have  preferred  if  he  had  been  in 


80  MARU^A 

uniform,  but  he  contented  himself  with  the  fact  that  Carroll, 
like  all  men  of  disciplined  limbs,  carried  himself  equally 
well  in  mufti. 

"  You  have  shown  us  everything,"  said  Carroll,  smiling, 
"  except  the  secret  chamber  where  you  keep  the  magic  lamp 
and  ring.  Are  we  not  to  see  the  spot  where  the  incantation 
that  produces  these  marvels  is  held,  even  if  we  are  forbidden 
to  witness  the  ceremony  ?  The  ladies  are  dying  to  see  your 
sanctum  —  your  study  —  your  workshop  —  where  you  really 
live." 

"  You  '11  find  it  a  mere  den,  as  plain  as  my  bedroom," 
said  Prince,  who  prided  himself  on  the  Spartan  simplicity 
of  his  own  habits,  and  was  not  averse  to  the  exhibition. 
"Come  this  way."  He  crossed  the  hall,  and  entered  a 
small,  plainly  furnished  room,  containing  a  table  piled  with 
papers,  some  of  which  were  dusty  and  worn-looking.  Carroll 
instantly  conceived  the  idea  that  these  were  Dr.  West's 
property.  He  took  his  letter  quietly  from  his  pocket;  and 
when  the  attention  of  the  others  was  diverted,  laid  it  on  the 
table,  with  the  remark,  in  an  undertone,  audible  only  to 
Prince,  "  From  Mrs.  Saltonstall." 

Aladdin  had  that  sublime  audacity  which  so  often  fills 
the  place  of  tact.  Casting  a  rapid  glance  at  Carroll,  he 
cried,  "  Hallo !  "  and  wheeling  suddenly  round  on  his 
following  guests,  with  a  bewildering  extravagance  of  play- 
ful brusqueness,  actually  bundled  them  from  the  room. 
"  The  incantation  is  on !  "  he  cried,  waving  his  arms  in 
the  air  ;  "the  genie  is  at  work.  No  admittance  except  on 
business !  Follow  Miss  Wilson,"  he  added,  clapping  both 
hands  on  the  shoulders  of  the  prettiest  and  shyest  young 
lady  of  the  party,  with  an  irresistible  paternal  familiarity. 
"  She 's  your  hostess.  I  '11  honor  her  drafts  to  any 
amount ;  "  and  before  they  were  aware  of  his  purpose,  or 
that  Carroll  was  no  longer  among  them,  Aladdin  had  closed 
the  door,  that  shut  with  a  spring-lock,  and  was  alone  with 


MARUJA  81 

the  young  man.  He  walked  quickly  to  his  desk,  took  up 
the  letter,  and  opened  it. 

His  face  of  dominant,  self-satisfied  good  humor  became 
set  and  stern.  Without  taking  the  least  notice  of  Carroll, 
he  rose,  and  stepping  to  a  telegraph  instrument  at  a  side 
table,  manipulated  half  a  dozen  ivory  knobs  with  a  sudden 
energy.  Then  he  returned  to  the  table,  and  began  hur- 
riedly to  glance  over  the  memoranda  and  indorsements  of 
the  files  of  papers  piled  upon  it.  Carroll's  quick  eye  caught 
sight  of  a  small  packet  of  letters  in  a  writing  of  unmistaka- 
ble feminine  delicacy,  and  made  certain  they  were  the  ones 
he  was  in  quest  of.  Without  raising  his  eyes,  Mr.  Prince 
asked,  almost  rudely  :  — 

"  Who  else  has  she  told  this  to  ?  " 

"  If  you  refer  to  the  contents  of  that  letter,  it  was  written 
and  handed  to  me  about  three  hours  ago.  It  has  not  been 
out  of  my  possession  since  then.'1 

"  Humph  !  Who  's  at  the  casa  ?  There  's  Buchanan, 
and  Raymond,  and  Victor  Guitierrez,  eh  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  can  say  almost  positively  that  Mrs.  Saltonstall 
has  seen  no  one  but  her  daughter  since  the  news  reached 
her,  if  that  is  what  you  wish  to  know,"  said  Carroll,  still 
following  the  particular  package  of  letters  with  his  eyes,  as 
Mr.  Prince  continued  his  examination.  Prince  stopped. 

"  Are  you  sure  ?  " 

"  Almost  sure." 

Prince  rose,  this  time  with  a  greater  ease  of  manner,  and 
going  to  the  table,  ran  his  fingers  over  the  knobs,  as  if  me- 
chanically. "  One  would  like  to  know  at  once  all  there  is 
to  know  about  a  transaction  that  changes  the  front  of  four 
millions  of  capital  in  about  four  hours,  eh,  Captain  ?  "  he 
said,  for  the  first  time  really  regarding  his  guest.  "  Just 
four  hours  ago,  in  this  very  room,  we  found  out  that  the 
widow  Saltonstall  owed  Dr.  West  about  a  million,  tied  up 
in  investments,  and  we  calculated  to  pull  her  through  with 


82  MARUJA 

perhaps  the  loss  of  half.  If  she 's  got  this  assignment  of 
the  Doctor's  property  that  she  speaks  of  in  her  letter,  as 
collateral  security,  and  it 's  all  regular,  and  she  —  so  to 
speak  —  steps  into  Dr.  West's  place,  by  G- — d,  sir,  we  owe 
him  about  three  millions,  and  we  've  got  to  settle  with  her 
—  and  that's  all  about  it.  You've  dropped  a  little  bomb- 
shell in  here,  Captain,  and  the  splinters  are  flying  around  as 
far  as  San  Francisco,  now.  I  confess  it  beats  me  regularly. 
I  always  thought  the  old  man  was  a  little  keen  over  there 
at  the  casa  —  but  she  was  a  woman,  and  he  was  a  man  for 
all  his  sixty  years,  and  that  combination  I  never  thought 
of.  I  only  wonder  she  had  n't  gobbled  him  up  before." 

Captain  Carroll's  face  betrayed  no  trace  of  the  bewilder- 
ment and  satisfaction  at  this  news  of  which  he  had  been 
the  unconscious  bearer,  nor  of  resentment  at  the  coarseness 
of  its  translation. 

"  There  does  not  seem  to  be  any  memorandum  of  this 
assignment,"  continued  Prince,  turning  over  the  papers. 

"  Have  you  looked  here  ?  "  said  Carroll,  taking  up  the 
packet  of  letters. 

"  No  —  they  seem  to  me  some  private  letters  she  refers 
to  in  this  letter,  and  that  she  wants  back  again." 

"  Let  us  see,"  said  Carroll,  untying  the  packet.  There 
were  three  or  four  closely  written  notes  in  Spanish  and 
English. 

"  Love-letters,  I  reckon,"  said  Prince  —  "  that  ?s  why 
the  old  girl  wants  'em  back.  She  don't  care  to  have  the 
wheedling  that  fetched  the  Doctor  trotted  out  to  the 
public." 

"Let  us  look  more  carefully,"  said  Carroll  pleasantly, 
opening  each  letter  before  Prince,  yet  so  skillfully  as  to 
frustrate  any  attempt  of  the  latter  to  read  them.  "  There 
does  not  seem  to  be  any  memorandum  here.  They  are 
evidently  only  private  letters." 

"  Quite  so,"  said  Prince. 


MARUJA  83 

Captain  Carroll  retied  the  packet  and  put  it  in  his  pocket. 
"  Then  I  '11  return  them  to  her/'  he  said  quietly. 

"  Hullo  !  —  here  —  I  say/'  said  Prince,  starting  to  his 
feet. 

"  I  said  I  would  return  them  to  her/'  repeated  Carroll 
calmly. 

"  But  I  never  gave  them  to  you  !  I  never  consented  to 
their  withdrawal  from  the  papers." 

"  I  'm  sorry  you  did  not,"  said  Carroll  coldly ;  "  it 
would  have  been  more  polite." 

"  Polite  !     D— n  it,  sir !     I  call  this  stealing." 

"  Stealing,  Mr.  Prince,  is  a  word  that  might  be  used  by 
the  person  who  claims  these  letters  to  describe  the  act  of 
any  one  who  would  keep  them  from  her.  It  really  cannot 
apply  to  you  or  me." 

"  Once  for  all,  do  you  refuse  to  return  them  to  me  ?  " 
said  Prince,  pale  with  anger. 

"  Decidedly." 

"  Very  well,  sir  !  We  shall  see."  He  stepped  to  the 
corner  and  rang  a  bell.  "  I  have  summoned  my  manager, 
and  will  charge  you  with  the  theft  in  his  presence." 

"I  think  not." 

"  And  why,  sir  ?  " 

"Because  the  presence  of  a  third  party  would  enable 
me  to  throw  this  glove  in  your  face,  which,  as  a  gentleman, 
I  could  n't  do  without  witnesses."  Steps  were  heard  along 
the  passage ;  Prince  was  no  coward  in  a  certain  way ; 
neither  was  he  a  fool.  He  knew  that  Carroll  would  keep 
his  word  ;  he  knew  that  he  should  have  to  fight  him ;  that, 
whatever  the  issue  of  the  duel  was,  the  cause  of  the  quarrel 
would  be  known,  and  scarcely  redound  to  his  credit.  At 
present  there  were  no  witnesses  to  the  offered  insult,  and 
none  would  be  wiser.  The  letters  were  not  worth  it.  He 
stepped  to  the  door,  opened  it,  said,  "No  matter,"  and 
closed  it  again. 


84  MARUJA 

He  returned  with  an  affectation  of  carelessness.  "  You 
are  right.  I  don't  know  that  I  'm  called  upon  to  make  a 
scene  here  which  the  law  can  do  for  me  as  well  elsewhere. 
It  will  settle  pretty  quick  whether  you  've  got  the  right  to 
those  letters,  and  whether  you  've  taken  the  right  way  to 
get  them,  sir." 

"  I  have  no  desire  to  evade  any  responsibility  in  this  mat 
ter,  legal  or  otherwise,"  said  Carroll  coldly,  rising  to  his  feet. 

"  Look  here,"  said  Prince  suddenly,  with  a  return  of  his 
brusque  frankness ;  "  you  might  have  asked  me  for  those 
letters,  you  know." 

"  And  you  would  n't  have  given  them  to  me,"  said  Car- 
roll. 

Prince  laughed.  "  That 's  so  !  I  say,  Captain.  Did 
they  teach  you  this  sort  of  strategy  at  West  Point  ?  " 

"  They  taught  me  that  I  could  neither  receive  nor  give 
an  insult  under  a  white  flag,"  said  Carroll  pleasantly. 
"  And  they  allowed  me  to  make  exchanges  under  the  same 
rule.  I  picked  up  this  pocket-book  on  the  spot  where  the 
accident  occurred  to  Dr.  West.  It  is  evidently  his.  I 
leave  it  with  you,  who  are  his  executor." 

The  instinct  of  reticence  before  a  man  with  whom  he 
could  never  be  confidential  kept  him  from  alluding  to  his 
other  discovery. 

Prince  took  the  pocket-book,  and  opened  it  mechanically. 
After  a  moment's  scrutiny  of  the  memoranda  it  contained, 
his  face  assumed  something  of  the  same  concentrated  atten- 
tion it  wore  at  the  beginning  of  the  interview.  Raising  his 
eyes  suddenly  to  Carroll,  he  said  quickly  :  — 

"  You  have  examined  it  ?  " 

"  Only  so  far  as  to  see  that  it  contained  nothing  of  impor- 
tance to  the  person  I  represent,"  returned  Carroll  simply. 

The  capitalist  looked  at  the  young  officer's  clear  eyes. 
Something  of  embarrassment  came  into  his  own  as  he  turned 
them  away. 


MAECJJA  85 

"  Certainly.  Only  memoranda  of  the  Doctor's  business. 
Quite  important  to  us,  you  know.  But  nothing  referring  to 
your  principal."  He  laughed.  "Thank  you  for  the  ex- 
change. I  say  —  take  a  drink  !  " 

"Thank  you — no!"  returned  Carroll,  going  to  the 
door. 

"  Well,  good-by." 

He  held  out  his  hand.  Carroll,  with  his  clear  eyes  still 
regarding  him,  passed  quietly  by  the  outstretched  hand, 
opened  the  door,  bowed  and  made  his  exit. 

A  slight  flush  came  into  Prince's  cheek.  Then,  as  the 
door  closed,  he  burst  into  a  half  laugh.  Had  he  been  a 
dramatic  villain,  he  would  have  added  to  it  several  lines  of 
soliloquy,  in  which  he  would  have  rehearsed  the  fact  that 
the  opportunity  for  revenge  had  "  come  at  last ;  "  that  the 
"  haughty  victor  who  had  just  left  with  his  ill-gotten  spoil 
had  put  into  his  hands  the  weapon  of  his  friend's  destruc- 
tion ;  "  that  the  "  hour  had  come  ;  "  and  possibly  he  might 
have  said,  "  Ha  !  ha  !  "  But  being  a  practical,  good-na- 
tured, selfish  rascal,  not  much  better  or  worse  than  his 
neighbors,  he  sat  himself  down  at  his  desk  and  began  to 
carefully  consider  how  he  could  best  make  use  of  the  mem- 
oranda jotted  down  by  Dr.  West  of  the  proofs  of  the  ex- 
istence of  his  son,  and  the  consequent  discovery  of  a  legal 
heir  to  his  property 


CHAPTER  VIII 

WHEN  Faquita  had  made  sure  that  her  young  mistress  was 
so  securely  closeted  with  Dona  Maria  that  morning  as  to  be 
inaccessible  to  curious  eyes  and  ears,  she  saw  fit  to  bewail 
to  her  fellow  servants  this  further  evidence  of  the  decay  of 
the  old  feudal  and  patriarchal  mutual  family  confidences. 
"  Time  was,  thou  rememberest,  Pepita,  when  an  affair  of 
this  kind  was  openly  discussed  at  chocolate  with  everybody 
present  and  before  us  all.  When  Joaquin  Padilla  was  shot 
at  Monterey,  it  was  the  Dona  herself  who  told  us,  who  read 
aloud  the  letters  describing  it  and  the  bullet-holes  in  his 
clothes,  and  made  it  quite  a  gala  day  —  and  he  was  a  first 
cousin  of  Guitierrez.  And  now,  when  this  American  goat 
of  a  doctor  is  kicked  to  death  by  a  mule,  the  family  must 
shut  themselves  up,  that  never  a  question  is  asked  or  an- 
swered." "Ay,"  responded  Pepita;  "and  as  regards  that, 
Sanchez  there  knows  as  much  as  they  do,  for  it  was  he  that 
almost  saw  the  whole  affair." 

"  How  ?  —  sawest  it  ?  "  inquired  Faquita  eagerly. 

"  Why,  was  it  not  he  that  was  bringing  home  Pereo,  who 
had  been  lying  in  one  of  his  trances  or  visions  —  blessed 
St.  Antonio  preserve  us !  "  said  Pepita,  hastily  crossing 
herself — "  on  Koorotora's  grave,  when  the  Doctor's  mus- 
tang charged  down  upon  them  like  a  wild  bull,  and  the 
Doctor's  foot  half  out  of  the  stirrups,  and  he  not  yet  fast  in 
his  seat  ?  And  Pereo  laughs  a  wild  laugh  and  says :  '  Watch 
if  the  coyote  does  not  drag  yet  at  his  mustang's  heels ; '  and 
Sanchez  ran  and  watched  the  Doctor  out  of  sight,  careering 
and  galloping  to  his  death  !  —  ay,  as  Pereo  prophesied. 


MARUJA  87 

For  it  was  only  half  an  hour  afterwards  that  Sanchez  again 
heard  the  tramp  of  his  hoofs  —  as  if  it  were  here  —  and 
knowing  it  two  miles  away  —  thou  understandest,  he  said  to 
himself  { It  is  over.' ' 

The  two  women  shuddered  and  crossed  themselves. 

"  And  what  says  Pereo  of  the  fulfillment  of  his  pro- 
phecy ? "  asked  Faquita,  hugging  herself  in  her  shawl 
with  a  certain  titillating  shrug  of  fascinating  horror. 

"  It  is  even  possible  he  understands  it  not.  Thou  know- 
est  how  dazed  and  dumb  he  ever  is  after  these  visions  — 
that  he  comes  from  them  as  one  from  the  grave,  remember- 
ing nothing.  He  has  lain  like  a  log  all  the  morning." 

"  Ay ;  but  this  news  should  awaken  him,  if  aught  can. 
He  loved  not  this  sneaking  Doctor.  Let  us  seek  him  ; 
mayhap,  Sanchez  may  be  there.  Come  !  The  mistress 
lacks  us  not  just  now  ;  the  guests  are  provided  for.  Come  !  " 

She  led  the  way  to  the  eastern  angle  of  the  casa  com- 
municating by  a  low  corridor  with  the  corral  and  stables. 
This  was  the  old  "  gate-keep "  or  quarters  of  the  major- 
domo,  who,  among  his  functions,  was  supposed  to  exercise 
a  supervision  over  the  exits  and  entrances  of  the  house. 
A  large  steward's  room  or  office,  beyond  it  a  room  of  gen- 
eral assembly,  half  guard-room,  half  servants'  hall,  and 
Pereo' s  sleeping-room,  constituted  his  domain.  A  few 
peons  were  gathered  in  the  hall  near  the  open  door  of  the 
apartment  where  Pereo  lay. 

Stretched  on  a  low  pallet,  his  face  yellow  as  wax,  a  light 
burning  under  a  crucifix  near  his  head,  and  a  spray  of 
blessed  palm,  popularly  supposed  to  avert  the  attempts  of 
evil  spirits  to  gain  possession  of  his  suspended  faculties, 
Pereo  looked  not  unlike  a  corpse.  Two  muffled  and 
shawled  domestics,  who  sat  by  his  side,  might  have  been 
mourners,  but  for  their  voluble  and  incessant  chattering. 

"  So  thou  art  here,  Faquita,"  said  a  stout  virago.  "  It 
is  a  wonder  thou  couldst  spare  time  from  prayers  for  the 


88  MARUJA 

repose  of  the  American  Doctor's  soul  to  look  after  the 
health  of  thy  superior,  poor  Pereo  !  Is  it,  then,  true  that 
Dona  Maria  said  she  would  have  naught  more  to  do  with 
the  drunken  brute  of  her  major-domo  ?  " 

The  awful  fascination  of  Pereo's  upturned  face  did  not 
prevent  Faquita  from  tossing  her  head  as  she  replied, 
pertly,  that  she  was  not  there  to  defend  her  mistress  from 
lazy  gossip.  "  Nay,  but  what  said  she  ?  "  asked  the  other 
attendant. 

"  She  said  Ptreo  was  to  want  for  nothing ;  but  at  pre- 
sent she  could  not  see  him." 

A  murmur  of  indignation  and  sympathy  passed  through 
the  company.  It  was  followed  by  a  long  sigh  from  the 
insensible  man.  "His  lips  move,'7  said  Faquita,  still  fas- 
cinated by  curiosity.  "  Hush  !  he  would  speak." 

"  His  lips  move,  but  his  soul  is  still  asleep,"  said  San- 
chez oracularly.  "Thus  they  have  moved  since  early 
morning,  when  I  came  to  speak  with  him,  and  found  him 
lying  here  in  a  fit  upon  the  floor.  He  was  half  dressed, 
thou  seest,  as  if  he  had  risen  to  go  forth,  and  had  been 
struck  down  so  "  — 

"  Hush  !     I  tell  thee  he  speaks,"  said  Faquita. 

The  sick  man  was  faintly  articulating  through  a  few 
tiny  bubbles  that  broke  upon  his  rigid  lips.  "  He  — 
dared  —  me  !  He  —  said  —  I  was  old  —  too  old." 

"  Who  dared  thee  ?  Who  said  thou  wast  too  old  ?  " 
a,ked  the  eager  Faquita,  bending  over  him. 

"He,  Koorotora  himself!  in  the  shape  of  a  coyote." 

Faquita  fell  back  with  a  little  giggle,  half  of  shame, 
half  of  awe. 

"  It  is  ever  thus,"  said  Sanchez  sententiously ;  "  it  is 
what  he  said  last  night,  when  I  picked  him  up  on  the 
mound.  He  will  sleep  now  —  thou  shalt  see.  He  will 
get  no  further  than  Koorotora  and  the  coyote  —  and  then 
he  will  sleep." 


MARUJA  89 

And  to  the  awe  of  the  group,  and  the  increased  respect 
for  Sanchez's  wisdom,  Pereo  seemed  to  fall  again  into  a 
lethargic  slumber.  It  was  late  in  the  evening  when  he 
appeared  to  regain  perfect  consciousness.  "Ah — what  is 
this  ?  "  he  said  roughly,  sitting  up  in  bed,  and  eying  the 
watchers  around  him,  some  of  whom  had  succumbed  to 
sleep,  and  others  were  engaged  in  playing  cards.  "Ca- 
ramba !  are  ye  mad  ?  Thou,  Sanchez,  here  ;  who  shouldst 
be  at  thy  work  in  the  stables !  Thou,  Pepita,  is  thy  mis- 
tress asleep  or  dead,  that  thou  sittest  here  ?  Blessed  San 
Antonio !  would  ye  drive  me  mad  ? "  He  lifted  his  hand 
to  his  head,  with  a  dull  movement  of  pain,  and  attempted 
to  rise  from  the  bed. 

"  Softly,  good  Pereo  ;  lie  still,"  said  Sanchez,  approach- 
ing him.  "  Thou  hast  been  ill  —  so  ill.  These,  thy 
friends,  have  been  waiting  only  for  this  moment  to  be 
assured  that  thou  art  better.  For  this  idleness  there  is  no 
blame  —  truly  none.  The  Dona  Maria  has  said  that  thou 
shouldst  lack  no  care  ;  and,  truly,  since  the  terrible  news 
there  has  been  little  to  do." 

"  The  terrible  news  ?  "  repeated  Pereo. 

Sanchez  cast  a  meaning  glance  upon  the  others,  as  if  to 
indicate  this  confirmation  of  his  diagnosis. 

"  Ay,  terrible  news !  The  Dr.  West  was  found  this 
morning  dead  two  miles  from  the  casa." 

"  Dr.  West  dead !  "  repeated  Pereo  slowly,  as  if  endea- 
voring to  master  the  real  meaning  of  the  words.  Then,  seeing 
the  vacuity  of  his  question  reflected  on  the  faces  of  those 
around  him,  he  added  hurriedly,  with  a  feeble  smile,  "  O 

—  ay  —  dead  !     Yes  !     I  remember.     And  he  has  been  ill 

—  very  ill,  eh  ?  " 

"  It  was  an  accident.  He  was  thrown  from  his  horse, 
and  so  killed,"  returned  Sanchez  gravely. 

"  Killed  —  by  his  horse  !  sayest  thou  ?  "  said  Pereo, 
with  a  sudden  fixed  look  in  his  eye. 


90  MARUJA 

"  Ay,  good  Pereo.  Dost  thou  not  remember  when  the 
mustang  bolted  with  him  down  upon  us  in  the  lane,  and 
then  thou  didst  say  he  would  come  to  evil  with  the  brute  ? 
He  did  —  blessed  San  Antonio !  —  within  half  an  hour  !  " 

"  How  —  thou  sawest  it  ?  " 

"  Nay  ;  for  the  mustang  was  running  away  and  I  did  not 
follow.  Bueno !  it  happened  all  the  same.  The  Alcalde, 
Coroner,  who  knows  all  about  it,  has  said  so  an  hour  ago. 
Juan  brought  the  news  from  the  rancho  where  the  inquest 
was.  There  will  be  a  funeral  the  day  after  to-morrow  !  and 
so  it  is  that  some  of  the  family  will  go.  Fancy,  Pereo,  a 
Guitierrez  at  the  funeral  of  the  Americano  Doctor  !  Nay,  I 
doubt  not  that  the  Dona  Maria  will  ask  thee  to  say  a  prayer 
over  his  bier." 

"  Peace,  fool !  and  speak  not  of  thy  lady  mistress/' 
thundered  the  old  man,  sitting  upright.  "  Begone  to  the 
stables.  Dost  thou  hear  me  ?  Go  !  " 

"  Now,  by  the  Mother  of  Miracles/7  said  Sanchez,  has- 
tening from  the  room  as  the  gaunt  figure  of  the  old  man 
rose,  like  a  sheeted  spectre,  from  the  bed,  "  that  was  his 
old  self  again !  Blessed  San  Antonio  !  Pereo  has  recov- 
ered/' 

The  next  day  he  was  at  his  usual  duties,  with  perhaps  a 
slight  increase  of  sternness  in  his  manner.  The  fulfillment 
of  his  prophecy  related  by  Sanchez  added  to  the  supersti- 
tious reputation  in  which  he  was  held,  although  Faquita 
voiced  the  opinions  of  a  growing  skeptical  party  in  the 
statement  that  it  was  easy  to  prophesy  the  Doctor's  acci- 
dent, with  the  spectacle  of  the  horse  actually  running  away 
before  the  prophet's  eyes.  It  was  even  said  that  Dona 
Maria's  aversion  to  Pereo  since  the  accident  arose  from  a 
belief  that  some  assistance  might  have  been  rendered  by 
him.  But  it  was  pointed  out  by  Sanchez  that  Pereo  had, 
a  few  moments  before,  fallen  under  one  of  those  singular, 
epileptic-like  strokes  to  which  he  was  subject,  and  not  only 


MARUJA  91 

was  unfit,  but  even  required  the  entire  care  of  Sanchez  at 
the  time.  He  did  not  attend  the  funeral,  nor  did  Mrs. 
Saltonstall ;  but  the  family  was  represented  by  Maruja  and 
Amita,  accompanied  by  one  or  two  dark-faced  cousins,  Cap- 
tain Carroll,  and  Raymond.  A  number  of  friends  and 
business  associates  from  the  neighboring  towns,  Aladdin 
and  a  party  from  his  house,  the  farm  laborers,  and  a  crowd 
of  workingmen  from  his  mills  in  the  foot-hills,  swelled  the 
assemblage  that  met  in  and  around  the  rude  agricultural 
sheds  and  outhouses  which  formed  the  only  pastoral  habi- 
tation of  the  E-ancho  of  San  Antonio.  It  had  been  a  char- 
acteristic injunction  of  the  deceased  that  he  should  be 
buried  in  the  midst  of  one  of  his  most  prolific  grain-fields, 
as  a  grim  return  to  that  nature  he  was  impoverishing,  with 
neither  mark  nor  monument  to  indicate  the  spot ;  and  that 
even  the  temporary  mound  above  him  should,  at  the  fitting 
season  of  the  year,  be  leveled  with  the  rest  of  the  field  by 
the  obliterating  ploughshares.  A  grave  was  accordingly  dug 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  his  office,  amidst  a  "  volun- 
teer "  crop  so  dense  that  the  large  space  mown  around  the 
narrow  opening,  to  admit  of  the  presence  of  the  multitude, 
seemed  like  a  golden  amphitheatre. 

A  distinguished  clergyman  from  San  Francisco  officiated. 
A  man  of  tact  and  politic  adaptation,  he  dwelt  upon  the 
blameless  life  of  the  deceased,  on  his  practical  benefit  for 
civilization  in  the  county,  and  even  treated  his  grim  Pan- 
theism in  the  selection  of  his  grave  as  a  formal  recognition 
of  the  text,  "  dust  to  dust."  He  paid  a  not  ungrateful 
compliment  to  the  business  associates  of  the  deceased,  and, 
without  actually  claiming  in  the  usual  terms  "a  continu- 
ance of  past  favors  "  for  their  successors,  managed  to  in- 
terpolate so  strong  a  recommendation  of  the  late  Doctor's 
commercial  projects  as  to  elicit  from  Aladdin  the  expressive 
commendation  that  his  sermon  was  "  as  good  as  five  per 
cent,  in  the  stock." 


92  MAEUJA 

Maruja,  who  had  been  standing  near  the  carriage,  lan- 
guidly silent  and  abstracted  even  under  the  tender  atten- 
tions of  Carroll,  suddenly  felt  the  consciousness  of  another 
pair  of  eyes  fixed  upon  her.  Looking  up,  she  was  surprised 
to  find  herself  regarded  by  the  man  she  had  twice  met,  once 
as  a  tramp  and  once  as  a  wayfarer  at  the  fonda,  who  had 
quietly  joined  a  group  not  far  from  her.  At  once  im- 
pressed by  the  idea  that  this  was  the  first  time  that  he  had 
really  looked  at  her,  she  felt  a  singular  shyness  creeping 
over  her,  until,  to  her  own  astonishment  and  indignation, 
she  was  obliged  to  lower  her  eyes  before  his  gaze.  In  vain 
she  tried  to  lift  them,  with  her  old  supreme  power  of  fas- 
cination. If  she  had  ever  blushed,  she  felt  she  would  have 
done  so  now.  She  knew  that  her  face  must  betray  her 
consciousness  ;  and  at  last  she  —  Maruja,  the  self-poised 
and  all-sufficient  goddess  —  actually  turned,  in  half-hysteri- 
cal and  girlish  bashfulness,  to  Carroll  for  relief  in  an 
affected  and  exaggerated  absorption  of  his  attentions.  She 
scarcely  knew  that  the  clergyman  had  finished  speaking, 
when  Raymond  approached  them  softly  from  behind. 
"  Pray  don't  believe,'7  he  said  appealingly,  "  that  all  the 
human  virtues  are  about  to  be  buried  —  I  should  say  sown 
—  in  that  wheat-field.  A  few  will  still  survive,  and  creep 
about  above  the  Doctor's  grave.  Listen  to  a  story  just 
told  me,  and  disbelieve — if  you  dare — in  human  grati- 
tude. Do  you  see  that  picturesque  young  ruffian  over 
there  ?  " 

Maruja  did  not  lift  her  eyes.  She  felt  herself  breath- 
lessly hanging  on  the  speaker's  next  words. 

tl  Why,  that 's  the  young  man  of  the  fonda,  who  picked 
up  your  fan,"  said  Carroll,  "  is  n't  it  ?  " 

"  Perhaps,"  said  Maruja  indifferently.  She  would  have 
given  worlds  to  have  been  able  to  turn  coldly  and  stare  at 
him  at  that  moment  with  the  others,  but  she  dared  not. 
She  contented  herself  with  softly  brushing  some  dust  from 


MARUJA  93 

Captain  Carroll's  arm  with  her  fan,  and  a  feminine  sug- 
gestion of  tender  care  which  thrilled  that  gentleman. 

"  Well,"  continued  Raymond,  "  that  Robert  Macaire 
over  yonder  came  here  some  three  or  four  days  ago  as  a 
tramp,  in  want  of  everything  but  honest  labor.  Our  la- 
mented friend  consented  to  parley  with  him,  which  was 
something  remarkable  in  the  Doctor ;  still  more  remark- 
able, he  gave  him  a  suit  of  clothes,  and,  it  is  said,  some 
money,  and  sent  him  on  his  way.  Now,  more  remarkable 
than  all,  our  friend,  on  hearing  of  his  benefactor's  death, 
actually  tramps  back  here  to  attend  his  funeral.  The  Doc- 
tor being  dead,  his  executors  not  of  a  kind  to  emulate  the 
Doctor's  spasmodic  generosity,  and  there  being  no  chance 
of  future  favors,  the  act  must  be  recorded  as  purely  and 
simply  gratitude.  By  Jove  !  I  don't  know  but  that  he  is 
the  only  one  here  who  can  be  called  a  real  mourner.  I  'm 
here  because  your  sister  is  here ;  Carroll  comes  because 
you  do,  and  you  come  because  your  mother  cannot." 

"  And  who  tells  you  these  pretty  stories  ?  "  asked  Ma- 
ruja,  with  her  face  still  turned  towards  Carroll. 

"  The  foreman,  Harrison,  who,  with  an  extensive  practi- 
cal experience  of  tramps,  was  struck  with  this  exception  to 
the  general  rule." 

"  Poor  man ;  one  ought  to  do  something  for  him,"  said 
Amita  compassionately. 

"What!"  said  Raymond,  with  affected  terror,  "and 
spoil  this  perfect  story  ?  Never  !  If  I  should  offer  him 
ten  dollars,  I  'd  expect  him  to  kick  me  ;  if  he  took  it,  I  'd 
expect  to  kick  him." 

"  He  is  not  so  bad-looking,  is  he,  Maruja  ? "  asked 
Amita  of  her  sister.  But  Maruja  had  already  moved  a  few 
paces  off  with  Carroll,  and  seemed  to  be  listening  to  him 
only.  Raymond  smiled  at  the  pretty  perplexity  of  Amita's 
eyebrows  over  this  pronounced  indiscretion. 

"  Don't  mind  them,"  he  whispered ;   "  you  really  cannot 


94  MARUJA 

expect  to  duena  your  elder  sister.  Tell  me,  would  you 
actually  like  me  to  see  if  I  could  assist  the  virtuous  tramp  ? 
You  have  only  to  speak."  But  Amita's  interest  appeared 
to  be  so  completely  appeased  with  Raymond's  simple  offer 
that  she  only  smiled,  blushed,  and  said  "  No." 

Maruja's  quick  ears  had  taken  in  every  word  of  these 
asides,  and  for  an  instant  she  hated  her  sister  for  her  aim- 
less decimation  of  Raymond's  proposal.  But  becoming 
conscious  —  under  her  eyelids  —  that  the  stranger  was 
moving  away  with  the  dispersing  crowd,  she  rejoined 
Amita  with  her  usual  manner.  The  others  had  reentered 
the  carriage,  but  Maruja  took  it  into  her  head  to  proceed 
on  foot  to  the  rude  building  whence  the  mourners  had  is- 
sued. The  foreman,  Harrison,  flushed  and  startled  by  this 
apparition  of  inaccessible  beauty  at  his  threshold,  came 
eagerly  forward.  "  I  shall  not  trouble  you  now,  Mr.  Har- 
r-r-rison,"  she  said,  with  a  polite  exaggeration  of  the  con- 
sonants ;  "  but  some  day  I  shall  ride  over  here,  and  ask  you 
to  show  me  your  wonderful  machines." 

She  smiled,  and  turned  back  to  seek  her  carriage.  But 
before  she  had  gone  many  yards  she  found  that  she  had 
completely  lost  it  in  the  intervening  billows  of  grain.  She 
stopped,  with  an  impatient  little  Spanish  ejaculation.  The 
next  moment  the  stalks  of  wheat  parted  before  her  and  a 
figure  emerged.  It  was  the  stranger. 

She  fell  back  a  step  in  utter  helplessness. 

He,  on  his  side,  retreated  again  into  the  wheat,  holding 
it  back  with  extended  arms  to  let  her  pass.  As  she  moved 
forward  mechanically,  without  a  word  he  moved  backward, 
making  a  path  for  her  until  she  was  able  to  discern  the 
coachman's  whip  above  the  bending  heads  of  the  grain  just 
beyond  her.  He  stopped  here  and  drew  to  one  side,  his 
arms  still  extended,  to  give  her  free  passage.  She  tried 
to  speak,  but  could  only  bow  her  head,  and  slipped  by  him 
with  a  strange  feeling  —  suggested  by  his  attitude  —  that 


MARUJA  95 

she  was  evading  his  embrace.  But  the  next  moment  his 
arms  were  lowered,  the  grain  closed  around  him,  and  he 
was  lost  to  her  view.  She  reached  the  carriage  almost  un- 
perceived  by  the  inmates,  and  pounced  upon  her  sister  with 
a  laugh. 

"  Blessed  Virgin  ! "  said  Amita,  "  where  did  you  come 
from  ?  " 

"  From  there ! "  said  Maruja,  with  a  slight  nervous 
shiver,  pointing  to  the  clustering  grain. 

"  We  were  afraid  you  were  lost." 

"  So  was  I,"  said  Maruja,  raising  her  pretty  lashes 
heavenwards,  as  she  drew  a  shawl  tightly  round  her  shoul- 
ders. 

"  Has  anything  happened  ?  You  look  strange,"  said 
Carroll,  drawing  closer  to  her. 

Her  eyes  were  sparkling,  but  she  was  very  pale. 

"  Nothing,  nothing  !  "  she  said  hastily,  glancing  at  the 
grain  again. 

"  If  it  were  not  that  the  haste  would  have  been  abso- 
lutely indecent,  I  should  say  that  the  late  Doctor  had  made 
you  a  ghostly  visit,"  said  Raymond,  looking  at  her  curi- 
ously. 

"  He  would  have  been  polite  enough  not  to  have  com- 
mented on  my  looks,"  said  Maruja.  "  Am  I  really  such  a 
fright  ?  " 

Carroll  thought  he  had  never  seen  her  so  beautiful.  Her 
eyelids  were  quivering  over  their  fires  as  if  they  had  been 
brushed  by  the  passing  wing  of  a  strong  passion. 

"  What  are  you  thinking  of  ? "  said  Carroll,  as  they 
drove  on. 

She  was  thinking  that  the  stranger  had  looked  at  her 
admiringly,  and  that  his  eyes  were  blue.  But  she  looked 
quietly  into  her  lover's  face,  and  said  sweetly,  "Nothing, 
I  fear,  that  would  interest  you  !  " 


CHAPTEK  IX 

THE  news  of  the  assignment  of  Dr.  West's  property  to 
Mrs.  Saltonstall  was  followed  by  the  still  more  astonishing 
discovery  that  the  Doctor's  will  further  bequeathed  to  her 
his  entire  property,  after  payment  of  his  debts  and  liabili- 
ties. It  was  given  in  recognition  of  her  talents  and  busi- 
ness integrity  during  their  late  association,  and  as  an 
evidence  of  the  confidence  and  "  undying  affection  "  of  the 
testator.  Nevertheless,  after  the  first  surprise,  the  fact 
was  accepted  by  the  community  as  both  natural  and  proper 
under  that  singular  instinct  of  humanity  which  acquiesces 
without  scruple  in  the  union  of  two  large  fortunes,  but 
sharply  questions  the  conjunction  of  poverty  and  affluence, 
and  looks  only  for  interested  motives  where  there  is  dis- 
parity of  wealth.  Had  Mrs.  Saltonstall  been  a  poor  widow 
instead  of  a  rich  one ;  had  she  been  the  Doctor's  house- 
keeper instead  of  his  business  friend,  the  bequest  would 
have  been  strongly  criticised  —  if  not  legally  tested.  But 
this  combination,  which  placed  the  entire  valley  of  San 
Antonio  in  the  control  of  a  single  individual,  appeared  to 
be  perfectly  legitimate.  More  than  that,  some  vague  rumor 
of  the  Doctor's  past  and  his  early  entanglements  only  seemed 
to  make  this  eminently  practical  disposition  of  his  property 
the  more  respectable,  and  condoned  for  any  moral  irregulari- 
ties of  his  youth. 

The  effect  upon  the  collateral  branches  of  the  Guitierrez 
family  and  the  servants  and  retainers  was  even  more  impres- 
sive. For  once,  it  seemed  that  the  fortunes  and  traditions 
of  the  family  were  changed  ;  the  female  Guitierrez,  instead 


MAEUJA  97 

of  impoverishing  the  property,  had  augmented  it ;  the  for- 
eigner and  intruder  had  been  despoiled  ;  the  fate  of  La 
Mision  Perdida  had  been  changed  ;  the  curse  of  Koorotora 
had  proved  a  blessing ;  his  prophet  and  descendant,  Pereo, 
the  major-domo,  moved  in  an  atmosphere  of  superstitious 
adulation  and  respect  among  the  domestics  and  common 
people.  This  recognition  of  his  power  he  received  at  times 
with  a  certain  exaltation  of  grandiloquent  pride  beyond  the 
conception  of  any  but  a  Spanish  servant,  and  at  times  with 
a  certain  dull,  pained  vacancy  of  perception  and  an  expres- 
sion of  frightened  bewilderment  which  also  went  far  to 
establish  his  reputation  as  an  unconscious  seer  and  thauma- 
turgist.  "  Thou  seest,"  said  Sanchez  to  the  partly  skeptical 
Faquita,  "  he  does  not  know  more  than  an  infant  what  is 
his  power.  That  is  the  proof  of  it."  The  Dona  Maria 
alone  did  not  participate  in  this  appreciation  of  Pereo,  and 
when  it  was  proposed  that  a  feast  or  celebration  of  rejoicing 
should  be  given  under  the  old  pear-tree  by  the  Indian's 
mound,  her  indignation  was  long  remembered  by  those  that 
witnessed  it.  "  It  is  not  enough  that  we  have  been  made 
ridiculous  in  the  past,"  she  said  to  Maruja,  "  by  the  inter- 
ference of  this  solemn  fool,  but  that  the  memory  of  our 
friend  is  to  be  insulted  by  his  generosity  being  made  into  a 
triumph  of  Pereo's  idiotic  ancestor.  One  would  have 
thought  those  coyotes  and  Koorotora's  bones  had  been  buried 
with  the  cruel  gossip  of  your  relations  "  —  (it  had  been  the 
recent  habit  of  Dona  Maria  to  allude  to  "  the  family  "  as 
being  particularly  related  to  Maruja  alone)  — "  over  my 
poor  friend.  Let  him  beware  that  his  ancestor's  mound  is 
not  uprooted  with  the  pear-tree,  and  his  heathenish  temple 
destroyed.  If,  as  the  engineer  says,  a  branch  of  the  new 
railroad  can  be  established  for  La  Mision  Perdida,  I  agree 
with  him  that  it  can  better  pass  at  that  point  with  less 
sacrifice  to  the  domain.  It  is  the  one  uncultivated  part  of 
the  park,  and  lies  at  the  proper  angle." 


98  MARUJA 

"  You  surely  would  not  consent  to  this,  my  mother  ?  " 
said  Maruja,  with  a  sudden  impression  of  a  newly  found 
force  in  her  mother's  character. 

"  Why  not,  child  ?  "  said  the  relict  of  Mr.  Saltonstall 
and  the  mourner  of  Dr.  West  coldly.  "  I  admit  it  was 
discreet  of  thee  in  old  times  to  have  thy  sentimental  pas- 
sages there  with  caballeros  who,  like  the  guests  of  the  hi- 
dalgo that  kept  a  skeleton  at  his  feast,  were  reminded  of 
the  mutability  of  their  hopes  by  Koorotora's  bones  and  the 
legend.  But  with  the  explosion  of  this  idea  of  a  primal 
curse,  like  Eve's,  on  the  property,"  added  the  Dona  Ma- 
ria, with  a  slight  bitterness,  "  thou  mayst  have  thy  citas 
—  elsewhere.  Thou  canst  scarcely  keep  this  Captain  Car- 
roll any  longer  at  a  distance  by  rattling  those  bones  of 
Koorotora  in  his  face.  And  of  a  truth,  child,  since  the 
affair  of  the  letters,  and  his  discreet  and  honorable  conduct 
since,  I  see  not  why  thou  shouldst.  He  has  thy  mother's 
reputation  in  his  hands." 

"  He  is  a  gentleman,  my  mother,"  said  Maruja  quietly. 

"  And  they  are  scarce,  child,  and  should  be  rewarded 
and  preserved.  That  is  what  I  meant,  silly  one ;  this  Cap- 
tain is  not  rich  —  but  then,  thou  hast  enough  for  both." 

"  But  it  was  Amita  that  first  brought  him  here,"  said 
Maruja,  looking  down  with  an  air  of  embarrassed  thought- 
fulness,  which  Dona  Maria  chose  to  instantly  accept  as 
exaggerated  coyness. 

"  Do  not  think  to  deceive  me  or  thyself,  child,  with  this 
folly.  Thou  art  old  enough  to  know  a  man's  mind,  if  not 
thine  own.  Besides,  I  do  not  know  that  I  shall  object  to 
her  liking  for  Raymond.  He  is  very  clever,  and  would  be  a 
relief  to  some  of  thy  relatives.  He  would  be  invaluable  to 
us  in  the  emergencies  that  may  grow  out  of  these  mechani- 
cal affairs  that  I  do  not  understand  —  such  as  the  mill  and 
the  railroad." 

"  And  you  propose  to  take  a  few  husbands  as  partners 


MARUJA  99 

in  the  business  ?  "  said  Maruja,  who  had  recovered  her 
spirits.  "  I  warn  you  that  Captain  Carroll  is  as  stupid  as 
a  gentleman  could  be.  I  wonder  that  he  has  not  blundered 
in  other  things  as  badly  as  he  has  in  preferring  me  to 
Amita.  He  confided  to  me  only  last  night,  that  he  had 
picked  up  a  pocket-book  belonging  to  the  Doctor  and  given 
it  to  Aladdin,  without  a  witness  or  receipt,  and  evidently 
of  his  own  accord." 

"  A  pocket-book  of  the  Doctor's  ?  "  repeated  Dona  Maria. 

"  Ay  ;  but  it  contained  nothing  of  thine,"  said  Maruja. 
"  The  poor  child  had  sense  enough  to  think  of  that.  But 
I  am  in  no  hurry  to  ask  your  consent  and  your  blessing  yet, 
little  mother.  I  could  even  bear  that  Amita  should  pre- 
cede me  to  the  altar,  if  the  exigencies  of  thy  '  business ' 
require  it.  It  might  also  secure  Captain  Carroll  for  me. 
Nay,  look  not  at  me  in  that  cheapening,  commercial  way  — 
with  compound  interest  in  thine  eyes.  I  am  not  so  poor 
an  investment,  truly,  of  thy  original  capital." 

"  Thou  art  thy  father's  child,"  said  her  mother,  suddenly 
kissing  her  ;  "  and  that  is  saying  enough,  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin knows.  Go  now,"  she  continued,  gently  pushing  her 
from  the  room,  "  and  send  Amita  hither."  She  watched 
the  disappearance  of  Maruja's  slightly  rebellious  shoulders, 
and  added  to  herself,  "  And  this  is  the  child  that  Amita 
really  believes  is  pining  with  lovesickness  for  Carroll,  so 
that  she  can  neither  sleep  nor  eat.  This  is  the  girl  that 
Faquita  would  have  me  think  hath  no  longer  any  heart  in 
her  dress  or  in  her  finery  !  Soul  of  Joseph  Saltonstall !  " 
ejaculated  the  widow,  lifting  her  shoulders  and  her  eyes 
together,  "thou  hast  much  to  account  for." 

Two  weeks  later  she  again  astonished  her  daughter. 
"  Why  'dost  thou  not  join  the  party  that  drives  over  to  see 
the  wonders  of  Aladdin's  Palace  to-day  ?  It  would  seem 
more  proper  that  thou  shouldst  accompany  thy  guests  than 
Raymond  and  Amita." 


100  MARUJA 

"  I  have  never  entered  his  doors  since  the  day  he  was 
disrespectful  to  my  mother's  daughter/7  said  Maruja,  in 
surprise. 

"  Disrespectful ! "  repeated  Dona  Maria  impatiently. 
"  Thy  father's  daughter  ought  to  know  that  such  as  he  may 
be  ignorant  and  vulgar,  but  cannot  be  disrespectful  to  her. 
And  there  are  offenses,  child,  it  is  much  more  crushing  to 
forget  than  to  remember.  As  long  as  he  has  not  the  pre- 
sumption to  apologize,  I  see  no  reason  why  thou  mayst 
not  go.  He  has  not  been  here  since  that  affair  of  the  let- 
ters. I  shall  not  permit  him  to  be  uncivil  over  that  — 
dost  thou  understand  ?  He  is  of  use  to  me  in  business. 
Thou  mayst  take  Carroll  with  thee  j  he  will  understand 
that." 

"  But  Carroll  will  not  go,"  said  Maruja.  "  He  will  not 
say  what  passed  between  them,  but  I  suspect  they  quar- 
reled." 

"  All  the  better,  then,  that  thou  goest  alone.  He  need 
not  be  reminded  of  it.  Fear  not  but  that  he  will  be  only 
too  proud  of  thy  visit  to  think  of  aught  else." 

Maruja,  who  seemed  relieved  at  this  prospect  of  being 
unaccompanied  by  Captain  Carroll,  shrugged  her  shoulders 
and  assented. 

When  the  party  that  afternoon  drove  into  the  courtyard 
of  Aladdin's  Palace,  the  announcement  that  its  hospitable 
proprietor  was  absent,  and  would  not  return  until  dinner, 
did  not  abate  either  their  pleasure  or  their  curiosity.  As 
already  intimated  to  the  reader,  Mr.  Prince's  functions  as 
host  were  characteristically  irregular  ;  and  the  servant's 
suggestion,  that  Mr.  Prince's  private  secretary  would  attend 
to  do  the  honors,  created  little  interest,  and  was  laughingly 
waived  by  Maruja.  "  There  really  is  not  the  slightest  ne- 
cessity to  trouble  the  gentleman,"  she  said  politely.  "  I 
know  the  house  thoroughly,  and  I  think  I  have  shown  it 
once  or  twice  before  for  your  master.  Indeed,"  she  added, 


MARUJA  101 

turning  to  her  party,  "I  have  been  already  complimented 
on  my  skill  as  a  cicerone."  After  a  pause,  she  continued, 
with  a  slight  exaggeration  of  action  and  in  her  deepest  con- 
tralto, "Ahem,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  the  hall  and  court  in 
which  we  are  now  standing  is  a  perfect  copy  of  the  Court 
of  Lions  at  the  Alhambra,  and  was  finished  in  fourteen  days 
in  white  pine,  gold,  and  plaster,  at  a  cost  of  ten  thousand 
dollars.  A  photograph  of  the  original  structure  hangs  on 
the  wall ;  you  will  observe,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  that  the 
reproduction  is  perfect.  The  Alhambra  is  in  Granada,  a 
province  of  Spain,  which  is  said  in  some  respects  to  resem- 
ble California,  where  you  have  probably  observed  the 
Spanish  language  is  still  spoken  by  the  old  settlers.  We 
now  cross  the  stable-yard  on  a  bridge  which  is  a  facsimile 
in  appearance  and  dimensions  of  the  Bridge  of  Sighs  at 
Venice,  connecting  the  Doge's  Palace  with  the  State 
Prison.  Here,  on  the  contrary,  instead  of  being  ushered 
into  a  dreary  dungeon,  as  in  the  great  original,  a  fresh  sur- 
prise awaits  us.  Allow  me,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  to  pre- 
cede you  for  the  surprise.  We  open  a  door  thus  —  and  — 
presto ! "  — 

She  stopped,  speechless,  on  the  threshold ;  the  fan  fell 
from  her  gesticulating  hand. 

In  the  centre  of  a  brilliantly  lit  conservatory,  with  golden 
columns,  a  young  man  was  standing.  As  her  fan  dropped 
on  the  tessellated  pavement,  he  came  forward,  picked  it  up, 
and  put  it  in  her  rigid  and  mechanical  fingers.  The  party, 
who  had  applauded  her  apparently  artistic  climax,  laugh- 
ingly pushed  by  her  into  the  conservatory,  without  noticing 
her  agitation. 

It  was  the  same  face  and  figure  she  remembered  as  last 
standing  before  her,  holding  back  the  crowding  grain  in  the 
San  Antonio  field.  But  here  he  was  appareled  and  ap- 
pointed like  a  gentleman,  and  even  seemed  to  be  superior 
to  the  garish  glitter  of  his  new  surroundings. 


102  MARUJA 

"  I  believe  I  have  the  pleasure  of  speaking  to  Miss  Sal- 
tonstall,"  he  said,  with  the  faintest  suggestion  of  his  for- 
mer manner  in  his  half-resentful  sidelong  glance.  "  I  hear 
that  you  offered  to  dispense  with  my  services,  but  I  knew 
that  Mr.  Prince  would  scarcely  be  satisfied  if  I  did  not  urge 
it  once  more  upon  you  in  person.  I  am  his  private  secre- 
tary." 

At  the  same  moment,  Amita  and  Raymond,  attracted  by 
the  conversation,  turned  towards  him.  Their  recognition 
of  the  man  they  had  seen  at  Dr.  West's  was  equally  dis- 
tinct. The  silence  became  embarrassing.  Two  pretty  girls 
of  the  party  pressed  to  Amita' s  side,  with  half-audible 
whispers.  "  What  is  it  ?  "  "  Who  's  your  handsome  and 
wicked-looking  friend  ?  "  "  Is  this  the  surprise  ?  " 

At  the  sound  of  their  voices,  Maruja  recovered  herself 
coldly.  "Ladies,"  she  said,  with  a  slight  wave  of  her  fan, 
"  this  is  Mr.  Prince's  private  secretary.  I  believe  it  is 
hardly  fair  to  take  up  his  valuable  time.  Allow  me  to 
thank  you,  sir,  FOR  PICKING  UP  MY  FAN  !  " 

With  a  single  subtle  flash  of  the  eye  she  swept  by  him, 
taking  her  companions  to  the  other  end  of  the  conservatory. 
When  she  turned,  he  was  gone. 

"  This  was  certainly  an  unexpected  climax,"  said  Ray- 
mond mischievously.  "  Did  you  really  arrange  it  before- 
hand ?  We  leave  a  picturesque  tramp  at  the  edge  of  a 
grave ;  we  pass  over  six  weeks  and  a  Bridge  of  Sighs,  and 
hey,  presto  !  we  find  a  private  secretary  in  a  conservatory  ! 
This  is  quite  the  regular  Aladdin  business." 

"  You  may  laugh,"  said  Maruja,  who  had  recovered  her 
spirits,  "  but  if  you  were  really  clever  you  'd  find  out  what 
it  all  means.  Don't  you  see  that  Amita  is  dying  of  curi- 
osity ?  " 

"  Let  us  fly  at  once  and  discover  the  secret,  then,"  said 
Raymond,  slipping  Amita's  arm  through  his.  "We  will 
consult  the  oracle  in  the  stables.  Come." 


MARUJA  103 

The  others  followed,  leaving  Maruja  for  an  instant  alone. 
She  was  about  to  rejoin  them  when  she  heard  footsteps  in 
the  passage  they  had  just  crossed,  and  then  perceived  that 
the  young  stranger  had  merely  withdrawn  to  allow  the 
party  to  precede  him  before  he  returned  to  the  other  build- 
ing through  the  conservatory,  which  he  was  just  entering. 
In  turning  quickly  to  escape,  the  black  lace  of  her  over- 
skirt  caught  in  the  spines  of  a  snaky-looking  cactus.  She 
stopped  to  disengage  herself  with  feverish  haste  in  vain. 
She  was  about  to  sacrifice  the  delicate  material,  in  her  im- 
patience, when  the  young  man  stepped  quietly  to  her  side. 

"  Allow  me.  Perhaps  I  have  more  patience,  even  if  I 
have  less  time/'  he  said,  stooping  down.  Their  ungloved 
hands  touched.  Maruja  stopped  in  her  efforts  and  stood 
up.  He  continued  until  he  had  freed  the  luckless  flounce, 
conscious  of  the  soft  fire  of  her  eyes  on  his  head  and  neck. 

"  There,"  he  said,  rising,  and  encountering  her  glance. 
As  she  did  not  speak,  he  continued :  "  You  are  thinking, 
Miss  Saltonstall,  that  you  have  seen  me  before,  are  you 
not  ?  Well  —  you  have  ;  I  asked  you  the  road  to  San  Jose* 
one  morning  when  I  was  tramping  by  your  hedge.'7 

"  And  as  you  probably  were  looking  for  something  bet- 
ter —  which  you  seem  to  have  found  —  you  did  n't  care  to 
listen  to  my  directions,"  said  Maruja  quickly. 

"  I  found  a  man  —  almost  the  only  one  who  ever  offeree! 
me  a  gratuitous  kindness  —  at  whose  grave  I  afterwards 
met  you.  I  found  another  man  who  befriended  me  here  — 
where  I  meet  you  again." 

She  was  beginning  to  be  hysterically  nervous  lest  any 
one  should  return  and  find  them  together.  She  was  con- 
scious of  a  tingling  of  vague  shame.  Yet  she  lingered. 
The  strange  fascination  of  his  half-savage  melancholy,  and 
a  reproachfulness  that  seemed  to  arraign  her,  with  the  rest 
of  the  world,  at  the  bar  of  his  vague  resentment,  held  the 
delicate  fibres  of  her  sensitive  being  as  cruelly  and  relent- 


104  MARUJA 

lessly  as  the  thorns  of  the  cactus  had  gripped  her  silken 
lace.  Without  knowing  what  she  was  saying,  she  stam- 
mered that  she  "  was  glad  he  connected  her  with  his  bet- 
ter fortune,"  and  began  to  move  away.  He  noticed  it  with 
his  sidelong  lids,  and  added,  with  a  slight  bitterness :  — 

"  I  don't  think  I  should  have  intruded  here  again,  but  I 
thought  you  had  gone.  But  I  —  I  —  am  afraid  you  have 
not  seen  the  last  of  me.  It  was  the  intention  of  my 
employer,  Mr.  Prince,  to  introduce  me  to  you  and  your 
mother.  I  suppose  he  considers  it  part  of  my  duties  here. 
I  must  warn  you  that,  if  you  are  here  when  he  returns,  he 
will  insist  upon  it,  and  upon  your  meeting  me  with  these 
ladies  at  dinner." 

"  Perhaps  so  —  he  is  my  mother's  friend,"  said  Maruja  ; 
"  but  you  have  the  advantage  of  us  —  you  can  always  take 
to  the  road,  you  know." 

The  smile  with  which  she  had  intended  to  accompany 
this  speech  did  not  come  as  readily  in  execution  as  it  had 
in  conception,  and  she  would  have  given  worlds  to  have 
recalled  her  words.  But  he  said,  "  That 's  so  "  quietly, 
and  turned  away,  as  if  to  give  her  an  opportunity  to  escape. 
She  moved  hesitatingly  towards  the  passage  and  stopped. 
The  sound  of  the  returning  voices  gave  her  a  sudden 
courage. 

«  Mr."  — 

"  Guest,"  said  the  young  man. 

"  If  we  do  conclude  to  stay  to  dinner,  as  Mr.  Prince  has 
said  nothing  of  introducing  you  to  my  sister,  you  must  let 
me  have  that  pleasure." 

He  lifted  his  eyes  to  hers  with  a  sudden  flush.  But 
she  had  fled. 

She  reached  her  party,  displaying  her  torn  flounce  as  the 
cause  of  her  delay,  and  there  was  a  slight  quickness  in  her 
breathing  and  her  speech  which  was  attributed  to  the  same 
grave  reason.  "  But,  only  listen,"  said  Amita,  "  we  ?ve 


MARUJA  105 

got  it  all  out  of  the  butler  and  the  grooms.  It 's  such  a 
romantic  story !  " 

"  What  is  ?  "  said  Maruja  suddenly. 

"Why,  the  private  tramp' s." 

"  The  peripatetic  secretary ,"  suggested  Raymond. 

"  Yes,"  continued  Amita,  "  Mr.  Prince  was  so  struck 
with  his  gratitude  to  the  old  Doctor  that  he  hunted  him 
up  in  San  Jose,  and  brought  him  here.  Since  then  Prince 
has  been  so  interested  in  him  —  it  appears  he  was  some- 
body in  the  States,  or  has  rich  relations  —  that  he  has 
been  telegraphing  and  making  all  sorts  of  inquiries  about 
him,  and  has  even  sent  out  his  own  lawyer  to  hunt  up 
everything  about  him.  Are  you  listening  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  You  seem  abstracted." 

"I  am  hungry." 

"  Why  not  dine  here  ;  it 's  an  hour  earlier  than  at  home. 
Aladdin  would  fall  at  your  feet  for  the  honor.  Do  !  " 

Maruja  looked  at  them  with  innocent  vagueness,  as  if 
the  possibility  were  just  beginning  to  dawn  upon  her. 

"  And  Clara  Wilson  is  just  dying  to  see  the  mysterious 
unknown  again.  Say  yes,  little  Maruja." 

Little  Maruja  glanced  at  them  with  a  large  maternal 
compassion.  "  We  shall  see." 

Mr.  Prince,  on  his  return  an  hour  later,  was  unexpect- 
edly delighted  with  Maruja's  gracious  acceptance  of  his 
invitation  to  dinner.  He  was  thoroughly  sensible  of  the 
significance  which  his  neighbors  had  attached  to  the  avoid- 
ance by  the  Saltonstall  heiress  of  his  various  parties  and 
gorgeous  festivities  ever  since  a  certain  act  of  indiscretion  — 
now  alleged  to  have  been  produced  by  the  exaltation  of 
wine  —  had  placed  him  under  ban.  Whatever  his  feelings 
were  towards  her  mother,  he  could  not  fail  to  appreciate 
fully  this  act  of  the  daughter,  which  rehabilitated  him. 
It  was  with  more  than  his  usual  extravagance  —  shown 


106  MARUJA 

even  in  a  certain  exaggeration  of  respect  towards  Maruja  — 
that  he  welcomed  the  party,  and  made  preparations  for  the 
dinner.  The  telegraph  and  mounted  messengers  were  put 
into  rapid  requisition.  The  bridal  suite  was  placed  at  the 
disposal  of  the  young  ladies  for  a  dressing-room.  The  at- 
tendant genii  surpassed  themselves.  The  evening  dresses 
of  Maruja,  Amita,  and  the  Misses  Wilson,  summoned  by 
electricity  from  La  Mision  Perdida,  and  dispatched  by  the 
fleetest  conveyances,  were  placed  in  the  arms  of  their  maids, 
smothered  with  bouquets,  an  hour  before  dinner.  An 
operatic  concert  troupe,  passing  through  the  nearest  town, 
were  diverted  from  their  course  by  the  slaves  of  the  ring 
to  discourse  hidden  music  in  the  music-room  during  dinner. 
"  Bite  my  finger,  Sweetlips,"  said  Miss  Clara  Wilson,  who 
had  a  neat  taste  for  apt  quotation,  to  Maruja,  t(  that  I  may 
see  if  I  am  awake.  It 's  the  Arabian  Nights  all  over 
again !  " 

The  dinner  was  a  marvel,  even  in  a  land  of  gastronomic 
marvels  j  the  dessert  a  miracle  of  fruits,  even  in  a  climate 
that  bore  the  products  of  two  zones.  Maruja,  from  her  seat 
beside  her  satisfied  host,  looked  across  a  bank  of  yellow 
roses  at  her  sister  and  Raymond,  and  was  timidly  conscious 
of  the  eyes  of  young  Guest,  who  was  seated  at  the  other 
end  of  the  table,  between  the  two  Misses  Wilson.  With  a 
strange  haunting  of  his  appearance  on  the  day  she  first  met 
him,  she  stole  glances  of  half-frightened  curiosity  at  him 
while  he  was  eating,  and  was  relieved  to  find  that  he  used 
his  knife  and  fork  like  the  others,  and  that  his  appetite  was 
far  from  voracious.  It  was  his  employer  who  was  the  first 
to  recall  the  experiences  of  his  past  life,  with  a  certain 
enthusiasm  and  the  air  of  a  host  anxious  to  contribute  to 
the  entertainment  of  his  guests.  "  You  'd  hardly  believe, 
Miss  Saltonstall,  that  that  young  gentleman  over  there 
walked  across  the  continent  —  and  two  thousand  odd  miles, 
was  n't  it  ?  —  all  alone,  and  with  not  much  more  in  the 


MARUJA  107 

way  of  traps  than  he  's  got  on  now.  Tell  'em,  Harry,  how 
the  Apaches  nearly  gobbled  you  up,  and  then  let  you  go 
because  they  thought  you  as  good  an  Injun  as  any  one  of 
them,  and  how  you  lived  a  week  in  the  desert  on  two  bis- 
cuits as  big  as  that.'7  A  chorus  of  entreaty  and  delighted 
anticipation  followed  the  suggestion.  The  old  expression 
of  being  at  bay  returned  for  an  instant  to  Guest's  face,  but, 
lifting  his  eyes,  he  caught  a  look  of  almost  sympathetic 
anxiety  from  Maruja's,  who  had  not  spoken. 

"  It  became  necessary  for  me,  some  time  ago,"  said 
Guest,  half  explanatorily,  to  Maruja,  "  to  be  rather  explicit 
in  the  details  of  my  journey  here,  and  I  told  Mr.  Prince 
some  things  which  he  seems  to  think  interesting  to  others. 
That  is  all.  To  save  my  life  on  one  occasion,  I  was  obliged 
to  show  myself  as  good  as  an  Indian,  in  his  own  way,  and 
I  lived  among  them  and  traveled  with  them  for  two  weeks. 
I  have  been  hungry,  as  I  suppose  others  have  on  like  occa- 
sions, but  nothing  more." 

Nevertheless,  in  spite  of  his  evident  reticence,  he  was 
obliged  to  give  way  to  their  entreaties,  and  with  a  certain 
grim  and  uncompromising  truthfulness  of  statement,  re- 
counted some  episodes  of  his  journey.  It  was  none  the  less 
thrilling  that  he  did  it  reluctantly,  and  in  much  the  same 
manner  as  he  had  answered  his  father's  questions,  and  as  he 
had  probably  responded  to  the  later  cross-examination  of 
Mr.  Prince.  He  did  not  tell  it  emotionally,  but  rather 
with  the  dogged  air  of  one  who  had  been  subjected  to  a 
personal  grievance  for  which  he  neither  asked  nor  expected 
sympathy.  When  he  did  not  raise  his  eyes  to  Maruja's,  he 
kept  them  fixed  on  his  plate. 

"Well,"  said  Prince,  when  a  long-drawn  sigh  of  sus- 
pended emotion  among  the  guests  testified  to  his  powers  as 
a  caterer  to  their  amusement,  {( what  do  you  say  to  some 
music  with  our  coffee  to  follow  the  story  ?  " 

"  It 's    more    like    a  play,"    said    Amita    to  Raymond. 


108  MARUJA 

"  What  a  pity  Captain  Carroll,  who  knows  all  about  In- 
dians, is  n't  here  to  have  enjoyed  it.  But  I  suppose  Maruja, 
who  has  n't  lost  a  word,  will  tell  it  to  him. " 

"  I  don't  think  she  will,"  said  Raymond  dryly,  glancing 
at  Maruja,  who,  lost  in  some  intricate  pattern  of  her  Chinese 
plate,  was  apparently  unconscious  that  her  host  was  waiting 
her  signal  to  withdraw.  At  last  she  raised  her  head,  and 
said,  gently  but  audibly,  to  the  waiting  Prince  :  — 

"It  is  positively  a  newer  pattern ;  the  old  one  had  not 
that  delicate  straw  line  in  the  arabesque.  You  must  have 
had  it  made  for  you." 

"  I  did,"  said  the  gratified  Prince,  taking  up  the  plate. 
"  What  eyes  you  have,  Miss  Saltonstall.  They  see  every- 
thing." 

"  Except  that  I  'm  keeping  you  all  waiting,"  she  re- 
turned, with  a  smile,  letting  the  eyes  in  question  fall  with 
a  half-parting  salutation  on  Guest  as  she  rose.  It  was  the 
first  exchange  of  a  common  instinct  between  them,  and 
left  them  as  conscious  as  if  they  had  pressed  hands. 

The  music  gave  an  opportunity  for  some  desultory  conver- 
sation, in  which  Mr.  Prince  and  his  young  friend  received 
an  invitation  from  Maruja  to  visit  La  Mision,  and  the  party, 
by  common  consent,  turned  into  the  conservatory,  where 
the  genial  host  begged  them  each  to  select  a  flower  from  a 
few  especially  rare  exotics.  When  Maruja  received  hers, 
she  said,  laughingly,  to  Prince,  "  Will  you  think  me  very 
importunate  if  I  ask  for  another  ?  "  "  Take  what  you  like 
—  you  have  only  to  name  it,"  he  replied  gallantly.  "  But 
that 's  just  what  I  can't  do,"  responded  the  young  girl, 
"  unless,"  she  added,  turning  to  Guest,  "  unless  you  can 
assist  me.  It  was  the  plant  I  was  examining  to-day."  "  I 
think  I  can  show  it  to  you,"  said  Guest,  with  a  slight  in- 
crease of  color,  as  he  preceded  her  towards  the  memorable 
cactus  near  the  door,  "  but  I  doubt  if  it  has  any  flower." 

Nevertheless,  it  had.     A  bright  red  blossom  like  a  spot 


MARUJA  109 

of  blood  drawn  by  one  of  its  thorns.  He  plucked  it  for 
her,  and  she  placed  it  in  her  belt. 

"  You  are  forgiving/7  he  said  admiringly. 

"  You  ought  to  know  that/'  she  returned,  looking  down. 

«J?_why?" 

"  You  were  rude  to  me  twice." 

"  Twice  ! " 

"  Yes  —  once  at  the  Mision  of  La  Perdida ;  once  in  the 
road  at  San  Antonio." 

His  eyes  became  downcast  and  gloomy.  "  At  the  Mision 
that  morning,  I,  a  wretched  outcast,  only  saw  in  you  a 
beautiful  girl  intent  on  overriding  me  with  her  merciless 
beauty.  At  San  Antonio  I  handed  the  fan  I  picked  up  to 
the  man  whose  eyes  told  me  he  loved  you." 

She  started  impatiently.  "  You  might  have  been  more 
gallant,  and  found  more  difficulty  in  the  selection,"  she 
said  pertly.  "  But  since  when  have  you  gentlemen  become 
so  observant  and  so  punctilious  ?  Would  you  expect  him 
to  be  as  considerate  of  others  ?  " 

"  I  have  few  claims  that  any  one  seems  bound  to  respect," 
he  returned  brusquely.  Then,  in  a  softer  voice,  he  added, 
looking  at  her  gently  :  — 

"  You  were  in  mourning  when  you  came  here  this  after- 
noon, Miss  Saltonstall." 

"  Was  I  ?     It  was  for  Dr.  West  —  my  mother's  friend." 

"  It  was  very  becoming  to  you." 

"  You  are  complimenting  me.  But  I  warn  you  that 
Captain  Carroll  said  something  better  than  that ;  he  said 
mourning  was  not  necessary  for  me.  I  had  only  to  l  put 
my  eyelashes  at  half-mast.'  He  is  a  soldier,  you  know." 

"  He  seems  to  be  as  witty  as  he  is  fortunate,"  said 
Guest  bitterly. 

"  Do  you  think  he  is  fortunate  ?  "  said  Marnja,  raising 
her  eyes  to  his.  There  was  so  much  in  this  apparently 
simple  question  that  Guest  looked  in  her  eyes  for  a  sugges- 


110  MARUJA 

tion.  What  he  saw  there  for  an  instant  made  his  heart 
stop  beating.  She  apparently  did  not  know  it,  for  she  be- 
gan to  tremble  too. 

"  Is  he  not  ?  "  said  Guest  in  a  low  voice. 

"  Do  you  think  he  ought  to  be  ? "  she  found  herself 
whispering. 

A  sudden  silence  fell  upon  them.  The  voices  of  their 
companions  seemed  very  far  in  the  distance  ;  the  warm 
breath  of  the  flowers  appeared  to  be  drowning  their  senses ; 
they  tried  to  speak,  but  could  not ;  they  were  so  near  to 
each  other  that  the  two  long  blades  of  a  palm  served  to 
hide  them.  In  the  midst  of  this  profound  silence  a  voice 
that  was  like  and  yet  unlike  Maruja's  said  twice,  "  Go ! 
go ! "  but  each  time  seemed  hushed  in  the  stifling  silence. 
The  next  moment  the  palms  were  pushed  aside,  the  dark 
figure  of  a  young  man  slipped  like  some  lithe  animal  through 
the  shrubbery,  and  Maruja  found  herself  standing,  pale  and 
rigid,  in  the  middle  of  the  walk,  in  the  full  glare  of  the 
light,  and  looking  down  the  corridor  toward  her  approa.ch- 
ing  companions.  She  was  furious  and  frightened  ;  she  was 
triumphant  and  trembling;  without  thought,  sense,  or 
reason,  she  had  been  kissed  by  Henry  Guest,  and  —  had 
returned  it. 

The  fleetest  horses  of  Aladdin's  stud  that  night  could  not 
carry  her  far  enough  or  fast  enough  to  take  her  away  from 
that  moment,  that  scene,  and  that  sensation.  Wise  and 
experienced,  confident  in  her  beauty,  secure  in  her  selfish- 
ness, strong  over  others'  weaknesses,  weighing  accurately 
the  deeds  and  words  of  men  and  women,  recognizing  all 
there  was  in  position  and  tradition,  seeing  with  her  father's 
clear  eyes  the  practical  meaning  of  any  divergence  from 
that  conventionality  which  as  a  woman  of  the  world  she 
valued,  she  returned  again  and  again  to  the  trembling  joy 
of  that  intoxicating  moment.  She  thought  of  her  mother 
and  sisters,  of  Raymond  and  Gamier,  of  Aladdin  —  she 


MARUJA  111 

even  forced  herself  to  think  of  Carroll  —  only  to  shut  her 
eyes,  with  a  faint  smile,  and  dream  again  the  brief  but 
thrilling  dream  of  Guest  that  began  and  ended  in  their 
joined  and  parted  lips.  Small  wonder  that,  hidden  and 
silent  in  her  enwrappings,  as  she  lay  back  in  the  carriage, 
with  her  pale  face  against  the  cold  starry  sky,  two  other 
stars  came  out  and  glistened  and  trembled  on  her  passion- 
fringed  lashes. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  rainy  season  had  set  in  early.  The  last  three  weeks 
of  summer  drought  had  drained  the  great  valley  of  its  life- 
blood  ;  the  dead  stalks  of  grain  rustled  like  dry  bones  over 
Dr.  West's  grave.  The  desiccating  wind  and  sun  had  wrought 
some  disenchanting  cracks  and  fissures  in  Aladdin's  Palace, 
and  otherwise  disjoined  it,  so  that  it  not  only  looked  as  if 
it  were  ready  to  be  packed  away,  but  had  become  finally 
untenable  in  the  furious  onset  of  the  southwesterly  rains. 
The  gorgeous  furniture  of  the  reception-rooms  was  wrapped 
in  mackintoshes,  the  conservatory  was  changed  into  an 
aquarium,  the  Bridge  of  Sighs  crossed  an  actual  canal  in 
the  stable-yard.  Only  the  billiard-room  and  Mr.  Prince's 
bedroom  and  office  remained  intact,  and  in  the  latter,  one 
stormy  afternoon,  Mr.  Prince  himself  sat  busy  over  his 
books  and  papers.  His  station-wagon,  splashed  and  streaked 
with  mud,  stood  in  the  courtyard,  just  as  it  had  been  driven 
from  the  station,  and  the  smell  of  the  smoke  of  newly  lit 
fires  showed  that  the  house  had  been  opened  only  for  this 
hurried  visit  of  its  owner. 

The  tramping  of  horse  hoofs  in  the  courtyard  was  soon 
followed  by  steps  along  the  corridor,  and  the  servant  ushered 
Captain  Carroll  into  the  presence  of  his  master.  The  Cap- 
tain did  not  remove  his  military  overcoat,  but  remained 
standing  erect  in  the  centre  of  the  room,  with  his  forage 
cap  in  his  hand. 

"  I  could  have  given  you  a  lift  from  the  station,"  said 
Prince,  "  if  you  had  come  that  way.  I  've  only  just  got 
in  myself." 


MARUJA  113 

"  I  preferred  to  ride,"  said  Carroll  dryly. 

"  Sit  down  by  the  fire,"  said  Prince,  motioning  to  a  chair, 
"and  dry  yourself." 

"  I  must  ask  you  first  the  purport  of  this  interview," 
said  Carroll  curtly,  "  before  I  prolong  it  further.  You 
have  asked  me  to  come  here  in  reference  to  certain  letters  I 
returned  to  their  rightful  owner  some  months  ago.  If  you 
seek  to  reclaim  them  again,  or  to  refer  to  a  subject  which 
must  remain  forgotten,  I  decline  to  proceed  further." 

"  It  does  refer  to  the  letters,  and  it  rests  with  you 
whether  they  shall  be  forgotten  or  not.  It  is  not  my  fault 
if  the  subject  has  been  dropped.  You  must  remember  that 
until  yesterday  you  had  been  absent  on  a  tour  of  inspection 
and  could  not  be  applied  to  before." 

Carroll  cast  a  cold  glance  at  Prince,  and  then  threw  him- 
self into  a  chair,  with  his  overcoat  still  on  and  his  long 
military  boots  crossed  before  the  fire.  Sitting  there  in  pro- 
file, Prince  could  not  but  notice  that  he  looked  older  and 
sterner  than  at  their  last  interview,  and  his  cheeks  were 
thinned  as  if  by  something  more  than  active  service. 

"  When  you  were  here  last  summer,"  began  Prince,  lean- 
ing forward  over  his  desk,  "  you  brought  me  a  piece  of 
news  that  astounded  me,  as  it  did  many  others.  It  was 
the  assignment  of  Dr.  West's  property  to  Mrs.  Saltonstall. 
That  was  something  there  was  no  gainsaying  ;  it  was  a 
purely  business  affair,  and  involved  nobody's  rights  but  the 
assignor.  But  this  was  followed,  a  day  or  two  after,  by  the 
announcement  of  the  Doctor's  will,  making  the  same  lady 
the  absolute  and  sole  inheritor  of  the  same  property.  That 
seemed  all  right  too ;  for  there  were,  apparently,  no  legal 
heirs.  Since  then,  however,  it  has  been  discovered  that 
there  is  a  legal  heir  —  none  other  than  the  Doctor's  only 
son.  Now,  as  no  allusion  to  the  son's  existence  was  made 
in  that  will  —  which  was  a  great  oversight  of  the  Doctor's 
—  it  is  a  fiction  of  the  law  that  such  an  omission  is. an  act 


114  MARUJA 

of  forgetfulness,  and  therefore  leaves  the  son  the  same 
rights  as  if  there  had  been  no  will  at  all.  In  other  words, 
if  the  Docter  had  seen  fit  to  throw  his  scapegrace  son  a 
hundred  dollar  bill,  it  would  have  been  legal  evidence  that 
he  remembered  him.  As  he  did  not,  it 's  a  fair  legal  pre- 
sumption that  he  forgot  him,  or  that  the  will  is  incom- 
plete." 

"This  seems  to  be  a  question  for  Mrs.  Saltonstall's 
lawyers  —  not  for  her  friends,"  said  Carroll  coldly. 

"  Excuse  me  ;  that  remains  for  you  to  decide  —  when 
you  hear  all.  You  understand  at  present,  then,  that  Dr. 
West's  property,  both  by  assignment  and  will,  was  made 
over,  in  the  event  of  his  death,  not  to  his  legal  heirs,  but 
to  a  comparative  stranger.  It  looked  queer  to  a  good 
many  people,  but  the  only  explanation  was,  that  the  Doc- 
tor had  fallen  very  much  in  love  with  the  widow  —  that 
he  would  have  probably  married  her  —  had  he  lived." 

With  an  unpleasant  recollection  that  this  was  almost 
exactly  Maruja's  explanation  of  her  mother's  relations  to 
Dr.  West,  Carroll  returned  impatiently,  "  If  you  mean 
that  their  private  relations  may  be  made  the  subject  of 
legal  discussion,  in  the  event  of  litigation  in  regard  to  the 
property,  that  again  is  a  matter  for  Mrs.  Saltonstall  to  de- 
cide—  and  not  her  friends.  It  is  purely  a  matter  of  taste." 

"It  may  be  a  matter  of  discretion,  Captain  Carroll." 

"  Of  discretion  !  "  repeated  Carroll  superciliously. 

"  Well,"  said  Prince,  leaving  his  desk  and  coming  to  the 
fireplace,  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  "  what  would  you 
call  it,  if  it  could  be  found  that  Dr.  West,  on  leaving  Mrs. 
Saltonstall's  that  night,  did  not  meet  with  an  accident,  was 
not  thrown  from  his  horse,  but  was  coolly  and  deliberately 
murdered  !  " 

Captain  Carroll's  swift  recollection  of  the  discovery  he 
himself  had  made  in  the  road,  and  its  inconsistency  with 
the  accepted  theory  of  the  accident,  unmistakably  showed 


MARUJA  115 

itself  in  his  face.  It  was  a  moment  before  he  recovered 
himself. 

"  But  even  if  it  can  be  proved  to  have  been  a  murder 
and  not  an  accident,  what  has  that  to  do  with  Mrs.  Salton- 
stall  or  her  claim  to  the  property  ?  " 

"  Only  that  she  was  the  one  person  directly  benefited  by 
his  death." 

Captain  Carroll  looked  at  him  steadily,  and  then  rose  to 
his  feet.  "  Do  I  understand  that  you  have  called  me 
here  to  listen  to  this  infamous  aspersion  of  a  lady  ?  " 

"  I  have  called  you  here,  Captain  Carroll,  to  listen  to 
the  arguments  that  may  be  used  to  set  aside  Dr.  West's 
will,  and  return  the  property  to  the  legal  heir.  You  are 
to  listen  to  them  or  not,  as  you  choose ;  but  I  warn  you 
that  your  opportunity  to  hear  them  in  confidence  and  con- 
vey them  to  your  friend  will  end  here.  /  have  no  opin- 
ion in  the  case.  /  only  tell  you  that  it  will  be  argued 
that  Dr.  West  was  unduly  influenced  to  make  a  will  in 
Mrs.  SaltonstalFs  favor ;  that,  after  having  done  so,  it  will 
be  shown  that,  just  before  his  death,  he  became  aware  of 
the  existence  of  his  son  and  heir,  and  actually  had  an  in- 
terview with  him;  that  he  visited  Mrs.  Saltonstall  that 
evening,  with  the  records  of  his  son's  identity  and  a  memo- 
randum of  his  interview  in  his  pocket-book ;  and  that,  an 
hour  after  leaving  the  house,  he  was  foully  murdered. 
That  is  the  theory  which  Mrs.  Saltonstall  has  to  consider. 
I  told  you  I  have  no  opinion.  I  only  know  that  there 
ire  witnesses  to  the  interview  of  the  Doctor  and  his  son  ; 
there  is  evidence  of  murder,  and  the  murderer  is  suspected ; 
there  is  the  evidence  of  the  pocket-book,  with  the  memo- 
randum picked  up  on  the  spot,  which  you  handed  me 
yourself." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  will  permit  this  pocket- 
book,  handed  you  in  confidence,  to  be  used  for  such  an 
infamous  purpose  ?  "  said  Carroll. 


116  MARUJA 

"  I  think  you  offered  it  to  me  in  exchange  for  Dr.  West's 
letters  to  Mrs.  Saltonstall,"  returned  Prince  dryly.  "  The 
less  said  about  that,  the  less  is  likely  to  be  said  about  com- 
promising letters  written  by  the  widow  to  the  Doctor,  which 
she  got  you  to  recover  —  letters  which  they  may  claim  had 
a  bearing  on  the  case,  and  even  lured  him  to  his  fate." 

For  an  instant  Captain  Carroll  recoiled  before  the  gulf 
which  seemed  to  open  at  the  feet  of  the  unhappy  family. 
For  an  instant  a  terrible  doubt  possessed  him,  and  in  that 
doubt  he  found  a  new  reason  for  a  certain  changed  and 
altered  tone  in  Maruja's  later  correspondence  with  him,  and 
the  vague  hints  she  had  thrown  out  of  the  impossibility  of 
their  union.  "  I  beg  you  will  not  press  me  to  greater 
candor,"  she  had  written,  "  and  try  to  forget  me  before  you 
learn  to  hate  me."  For  an  instant  he  believed  —  and  even 
took  a  miserable  comfort  in  the  belief  —  that  it  was  this 
hideous  secret,  and  not  some  coquettish  caprice,  to  which  she 
vaguely  alluded.  But  it  was  only  for  a  moment ;  the  next 
instant  the  monstrous  doubt  passed  from  the  mind  of  the 
simple  gentleman,  with  only  a  slight  flush  of  shame  at  his 
momentary  disloyalty. 

Prince,  however,  had  noticed  it,  not  without  a  faint 
sense  of  sympathy.  "  Look  here  !  "  he  said,  with  a  certain 
brusqueness,  which  in  a  man  of  his  character  was  less 
dangerous  than  his  smoothness.  "I  know  your  feelings 
to  that  family,  —  at  least  to  one  of  them,  —  and  if  I  ?ve  been 
playing  it  pretty  rough  on  you,  it 's  only  because  you  played 
it  rather  rough  on  me  the  last  time  you  were  here.  Let 's 
understand  each  other.  I  '11  go  so  far  as  to  say  /  don't 
believe  that  Mrs.  Saltonstall  had  anything  to  do  with  that 
murder,  but,  as  a  business  man,  I  'm  bound  to  say  that  these 
circumstances  and  her  own  indiscretion  are  quite  enough  to 
bring  the  biggest  pressure  down  on  her.  I  would  n't  want 
any  better  *  bear '  on  the  market  value  of  her  rights  than 
this.  Take  it  at  its  best.  Say  that  the  Coroner's  verdict 


MARUJA  117 

is  set  aside,  and  a  charge  of  murder  against  unknown  parties 
is  made  "  — 

"  One  moment,  Mr.  Prince,"  said  Carroll.  "  I  shall  be 
one  of  the  first  to  insist  that  this  is  done,  and  I  have  confi- 
dence enough  in  Mrs.  Saltonstall's  honest  friendship  for  the 
Doctor  to  know  that  she  will  lose  no  time  in  pursuing  his 
murderers." 

Prince  looked  at  Carroll  with  a  feeling  of  half  envy  and 
half  pity.  "  I  think  not,"  he  said  dryly  ;  "  for  all  suspicion 
points  to  one  man  as  the  perpetrator,  and  that  man  was  Mrs. 
SaltonstalPs  confidential  servant  —  the  major-domo,  Pereo." 
He  waited  for  a  moment  for  the  effect  of  this  announcement 
on  Carroll,  and  then  went  on :  "  You  now  understand  that, 
even  if  Mrs.  Saltonstall  is  acquitted  of  any  connivance  with 
or  even  knowledge  of  the  deed,  she  will  hardly  enjoy  the 
prosecution  of  her  confidential  servant  for  murder." 

"  But  how  can  this  be  prevented  ?  If,  as  you  say,  there 
are  actual  proofs,  why  have  they  not  been  acted  upon  before  ? 
What  can  keep  them  from  being  acted  upon  now  ?  " 

"  The  proofs  have  been  collected  by  one  man,  have  been 
in  possession  of  one  man,  and  will  only  pass  out  of  his 
possession  when  it  is  for  the  benefit  of  the  legal  heir  —  who 
does  not  yet  even  know  of  their  existence." 
"  And  who  is  this  one  man  ?  " 
"Myself." 

"  You  ?  —  You  ?  "  said  Carroll,  advancing  towards  him. 
"  Then  this  is  your  work  !  " 

"  Captain  Carroll,"  said  Prince,  without  moving,  but 
drawing  his  lips  tightly  together  and  putting  his  head  on 
one  side,  "  I  don't  propose  to  have  another  scene  like  the 
one  we  had  at  our  last  meeting.  If  you  try  on  anything  of 
that  kind,  I  shall  put  the  whole  matter  into  a  lawyer's 
hands.  I  don't  say  that  you  won't  regret  it ;  I  don't  say 
that  /  sha'n't  be  disappointed,  too,  for  I  have  been  managing 
this  thing  purely  as  a  matter  of  business,  with  a  view  to 


118  MARUJA 

profiting  by  it.  It  so  happens  that  we  can  both  work  to  the 
same  end,  even  if  our  motives  are  not  the  same.  I  don't  call 
myself  an  officer  and  a  gentleman,  but  I  reckon  I  've  run  this 
affair  about  as  delicately  as  the  best  of  them,  and  with  a 
d — d  sight  more  horse  sense.  I  want  this  thing  hushed  up 
and  compromised,  to  get  some  control  of  the  property  again, 
and  to  prevent  it  depreciating,  as  it  would,  in  litigation  ;  you 
want  it  hushed  up  for  the  sake  of  the  girl  and  your  future 
mother-in-law.  I  don't  know  anything  about  your  laws  of 
honor,  but  I  've  laid  my  cards  on  the  table  for  you  to  see, 
without  asking  what  you  've  got  in  your  hand.  You  can 
play  the  game  or  leave  the  board,  as  you  choose."  He 
turned  and  walked  to  the  window  —  not  without  leaving  on 
Carroll's  mind  a  certain  sense  of  firmness,  truthfulness,  and 
sincerity  which  commanded  his  respect. 

"  I  withdraw  any  remark  that  might  have  seemed  to 
reflect  on  your  business  integrity,  Mr.  Prince,"  said  Carroll 
quietly.  "  I  am  willing  to  admit  that  you  have  managed 
this  thing  better  than  I  could,  and  if  I  join  you  in  an  act 
to  suppress  these  revelations,  I  have  no  right  to  judge  of 
your  intentions.  What  do  you  propose  to  have  me  do  ?  " 

"  To  state  the  whole  case  to  Mrs.  Saltonstall,  and  to  ask 
her  to  acknowledge  the  young  man's  legal  claim  without 
litigation." 

"  But  how  do  you  know  that  she  would  not  do  this  with- 
out —  excuse  me  —  without  intimidation  ?  " 

"  I  only  reckon  that  a  woman  clever  enough  to  get  hold 
of  a  million,  would  be  clever  enough  to  keep  it  —  against 
others." 

"  I  hope  to  show  you  are  mistaken.  But  where  is  this 
heir  ?  " 

"Here." 

"  Here  ?  " 

"  Yes.  For  the  last  six  months  he  has  been  my  private 
secretary.  I  know  what  you  are  thinking  of,  Captain  Car- 


MARUJA  119 

roll.  You  would  consider  it  indelicate  —  eh  ?  Well, 
that 's  just  where  we  differ.  By  this  means  I  have  kept 
everything  in  my  own  hands  —  prevented  him  from  getting 
into  the  hands  of  outsiders  —  and  I  intend  to  dispose  of 
just  as  much  of  the  facts  to  him  as  may  be  necessary  for 
him  to  prove  his  title.  What  bargain  I  make  with  him  — 
is  my  affair." 

"  Does  he  suspect  the  murder  ?  " 

"  No.  I  did  not  think  it  necessary  for  his  good  or  mine. 
He  can  be  an  ugly  devil  if  he  likes,  and  although  there 
was  n't  much  love  lost  between  him  and  the  old  man,  it 
would  n't  pay  to  have  any  revenge  mixed  up  with  business. 
He  knows  nothing  of  it.  It  was  only  by  accident  that, 
looking  after  his  movements  while  he  was  here,  I  ran  across 
the  tracks  of  the  murderer." 

"  But  what  has  kept  him  from  making  known  his  claim 
to  the  Saltonstalls  ?  Are  you  sure  he  has  not  ?  "  said  Car- 
roll, with  a  sudden  thought  that  it  might  account  for  Ma- 
ruja's  strangeness. 

"  Positive.  He  's  too  proud  to  make  a  claim  unless  he 
could  thoroughly  prove  it,  and  only  a  month  ago  he  made 
me  promise  to  keep  it  dark.  He  's  too  lazy  to  trouble  him- 
self about  it  much  anyway  —  as  far  as  I  can  see.  D — d 
if  I  don't  think  his  being  a  tramp  has  made  him  lose  his 
taste  for  everything !  Don't  worry  yourself  about  him. 
He  is  n't  likely  to  make  confidences  with  the  Saltonstalls, 
for  he  don't  like  'em,  and  never  went  there  but  once. 
Instinctively  or  not,  the  widow  did  n't  cotton  to  him  ;  and 
I  fancy  Miss  Maruja  has  some  old  grudge  against  him  for 
that  fan  business  on  the  road.  She  is  n't  a  girl  to  forgive 
or  forget  anything,  as  I  happen  to  know,"  he  added,  with 
an  uneasy  laugh. 

Carroll  was  too  preoccupied  with  the  danger  that  seemed 
to  threaten  his  friends  from  this  surly  pretender  to  resent 
Prince's  tactless  allusion.  He  was  thinking  of  Maruja's 


120  MARUJA 

ominous  agitation  at  his  presence  at  Dr.  West's  grave. 
"  Do  they  suspect  him  at  all  ?  "  he  asked  hurriedly. 

"  How  should  they  ?  He  goes  by  the  name  of  Guest  — 
which  was  his  father's  real  name  until  changed  hy  an  act  of 
legislation  when  he  first  came  here.  Nobody  remembers  it. 
We  only  found  it  out  from  his  papers.  It  was  quite  legal, 
as  all  his  property  was  acquired  under  the  name  of  West." 

Carroll  rose  and  buttoned  his  overcoat.  "  I  presume  you 
are  able  to  offer  conclusive  proofs  of  everything  you  have 
asserted  ?  " 

"  Perfectly." 

"  I  am  going  to  the  Mision  Perdida  now,"  said  Captain 
Carroll  quietly.  "  To-morrow  I  will  bring  you  the  answer 
—  Peace  or  War."  He  walked  to  the  door,  lifted  his  hand 
to  his  cap,  with  a  brief  military  salutation,  and  disappeared. 


CHAPTER   XI 

As  Captain  Carroll  urged  his  horse  along  the  miry  road 
to  La  Mision  Perdida,  he  was  struck  with  certain  changes 
in  the  landscape  before  him  other  than  those  wrought  hy 
the  winter  rains.  There  were  the  usual  deep  gullies  and 
trenches,  half  filled  with  water,  in  the  fields  and  along  the 
road,  but  there  were  ominous  embankments  and  ridges  of 
freshly  turned  soil,  and  a  scattered  fringe  of  timbers  follow- 
ing a  cruel,  undeviating  furrow  on  the  broad  grazing  lands 
of  the  Mision.  But  it  was  not  until  he  had  crossed  the 
arroyo  that  he  felt  the  full  extent  of  the  late  improvements. 
A  quick  rumbling  in  the  distance,  a  light  flash  of  steam  above 
the  willow  copse,  that  drifted  across  the  field  on  his  right, 
and  he  knew  that  the  railroad  was  already  in  operation. 
Captain  Carroll  reined  in  his  frightened  charger,  and  passed 
his  hand  across  his  brow  with  a  dazed  sense  of  loss.  He 
had  been  gone  only  four  months  —  yet  he  already  felt 
strange  and  forgotten. 

It  was  with  a  feeling  of  relief  that  he  at  last  turned  from 
the  highroad  into  the  lane.  Here  everything  was  un- 
changed, except  that  the  ditches  were  more  thickly  strewn 
with  the  sodden  leaves  of  fringing  oaks  and  sycamores. 
Giving  his  horse  to  a  servant  in  the  courtyard,  he  did  not 
enter  the  patio,  but,  crossing  the  lawn,  stepped  upon  the 
long  veranda.  The  rain  was  dripping  from  its  eaves  and 
striking  a  minute  spray  from  the  vines  that  clung  to  its 
columns  ;  his  footfall  awoke  a  hollow  echo  as  he  passed,  as 
if  the  outer  shell  of  the  house  were  deserted  ;  the  formal 
yews  and  hemlocks  that  in  summer  had  relieved  the  daz- 


122  MARUJA 

zling  glare  of  six  months'  sunshine  had  now  taken  gloomy 
possession  of  the  garden,  and  the  evening  shadows,  thick- 
ened by  rain,  seemed  to  lie  in  wait  at  every  corner.  The 
servant,  who  had,  with  old-fashioned  courtesy,  placed  the 
keys  and  the  "  disposition  "  of-  that  wing  of  the  house  at 
his  service,  said  that  Dona  Maria  would  wait  upon  him  in 
the  salon  before  dinner.  Knowing  the  difficulty  of  break- 
ing the  usual  rigid  etiquette,  and  trusting  to  the  happy  in- 
tervention of  Maruja,  —  though  here,  again,  custom  debarred 
him  from  asking  for  her,  —  he  allowed  the  servant  to  re- 
move his  wet  overcoat,  and  followed  him  to  the  stately  and 
solemn  chamber  prepared  for  him.  The  silence  and  gloom 
of  the  great  house,  so  grateful  and  impressive  in  the  ardent 
summer,  began  to  weigh  upon  him  under  this  shadow  of  an 
overcast  sky.  He  walked  to  the  window  and  gazed  out  on 
the  cloister-like  veranda.  A  melancholy  willow  at  an  angle 
of  the  stables  seemed  to  be  wringing  its  hands  in  the  rising 
wind.  He  turned  for  relief  to  the  dim  fire  that  nickered  like 
a  votive  taper  in  the  vault-like  hearth,  and  drew  a  chair 
towards  it.  In  spite  of  the  impatience  and  preoccupation 
of  a  lover,  he  found  himself  again  and  again  recurring  to  the 
story  he  had  just  heard,  until  the  vengeful  spirit  of  the 
murdered  Doctor  seemed  to  darken  and  possess  the  house. 
He  was  striving  to  shake  off  the  feeling,  when  his  atten- 
tion was  attracted  to  stealthy  footsteps  in  the  passage. 
Could  it  be  Maruja  ?  He  rose  to  his  feet,  with  his  eye 
upon  the  door.  The  footsteps  ceased  —  it  remained  closed. 
But  another  door,  which  had  escaped  his  attention  in  the 
darkened  corner,  slowly  swung  on  its  hinges,  and  with  a 
stealthy  step,  Pereo,  the  major-domo,  entered  the  room. 

Courageous  and  self-possessed  as  Captain  Carroll  was  by 
nature  and  education,  this  malevolent  vision,  and  incarna- 
tion of  the  thought  uppermost  in  his  mind,  turned  him 
cold.  He  had  half  drawn  a  derringer  from  his  breast,  when 
his  eye  fell  on  the  grizzled  locks  and  wrinkled  face  of  the 


MARUJA  123 

old  man,  and  his  hand  dropped  to  his  side.  But  Pereo, 
with  the  quick  observation  of  insanity,  had  noticed  the 
weapon,  and  rubbed  his  hands  together,  with  a  malicious 
laugh. 

"  Good  !  good  !  good  !  "  he  whispered  rapidly  in  a  strange 
bodiless  voice;  "'twill  serve  f  't  will  serve!  And  you 
are  a  soldier  too  —  and  know  how  to  use  it !  Good,  it  is  a 
Providence  !  "  He  lifted  his  hollow  eyes  to  heaven,  and 
then  added,  "  Come  !  come  !  " 

Carroll  stepped  towards  him.  He  was  alone  and  in  the 
presence  of  an  undoubted  madman  —  one  strong  enough,  in 
spite  of  his  years,  to  inflict  a  deadly  injury,  and  one  whom 
he  now  began  to  realize  might  have  done  so  once  before. 
Nevertheless,  he  laid  his  hand  on  the  old  man's  arm,  and 
looking  him  calmly  in  the  eye,  said  quietly,  "  Come  ? 
Where,  Pereo  ?  I  have  only  just  arrived." 

"  I  know  it,"  whispered  the  old  man,  nodding  his  head 
violently.  "  I  was  watching  them,  when  you  rode  up.  That 
is  why  I  lost  the  scent ;  but  together  we  can  track  them 
still  —  we  can  track  them.  Eh,  Captain,  eh  !  Come ! 
come !  "  and  he  moved  slowly  backward,  waving  his  hand 
towards  the  door. 

"  Track  whom,  Pereo  ? "  said  Carroll  soothingly. 
"  Whom  do  you  seek  ?  " 

"  Whom  ?  "  said  the  old  man,  startled  for  a  moment  and 
passing  his  hand  over  his  wrinkled  forehead.  "Whom? 
Eh  !  Why,  the  Dona  Maruja  and  the  little  black  cat  — 
her  maid  —  Faquita  !  " 

"  Yes,  but  why  seek  them  ?     Why  track  them  ?  " 

"  Why  ?  "  said  the  old  man,  with  a  sudden  burst  of  im- 
potent passion.  "  You  ask  me  why !  Because  they  are 
going  to  the  rendezvous  again.  They  are  going  to  seek 
him.  Do  you  understand  —  to  seek  him  —  the  Coyote  !  " 

Carroll  smiled  a  faint  smile  of  relief.  "So  —  the 
Coyote !  " 


124  MARUJA 

"  Ay,"  said  the  old  man  in  a  confidential  whisper ;  "  the 
Coyote  !  But  not  the  big  one  —  you  understand  —  the 
little  one.  The  big  one  is  dead  —  dead  —  dead  !  But  the 
little  one  lives  yet.  You  shall  do  for  him  what  I,  Pereo 
—  listen  "  he  glanced  around  the  room  furtively  —  "  what 
I  — the  good  old  Pereo,  did  for  the  big  one  !  Good,  it  is  a 
Providence.  Come  !  "  — 

Of  the  terrible  thoughts  that  crossed  Carroll's  mind  at 
this  unexpected  climax  one  alone  was  uppermost.  The 
trembling  irresponsible  wretch  before  him  meditated  some 
deep  crime  —  and  Maruja  was  in  danger.  He  did  not 
allow  himself  to  dwell  upon  any  other  suspicion  suggested 
by  that  speech  ;  he  quickly  conceived  a  plan  of  action.  To 
have  rung  the  bell  and  given  Pereo  into  the  hands  of  the 
servants  would  have  only  exposed  to  them  the  lunatic's 
secret  —  if  he  had  any  —  and  he  might  either  escape  in  his 
fury  or  relapse  into  useless  imbecility.  To  humor  him  and 
follow  him,  and  trust  afterwards  to  his  own  quickness  and 
courage  to  avert  any  calamity,  seemed  to  be  the  only  plan. 
Captain  Carroll  turned  his  clear  glance  on  the  restless  eyes 
of  Pereo,  and  said,  without  emotion,  "  Let  us  go,  then,  and 
quickly.  You  shall  track  them  for  me;  but  remember, 
good  Pereo,  you  must  leave  the  rest  to  me." 

In  spite  of  himself,  some  accidental  significance  in  this 
ostentatious  adjuration  to  lull  Pereo's  suspicions  struck  him 
with  pain.  But  the  old  man's  eyes  glittered  with  gratified 
passion  as  he  said,  "  Ay,  good !  I  will  keep  my  word. 
Thou  shalt  work  thy  will  on  the  little  one  as  I  have  said. 
Truly  it  is  a  Providence  !  Come !  "  Seeing  Captain  Car- 
roll glance  round  for  his  overcoat,  he  seized  a  poncho  from 
the  wall,  wrapped  it  round  him,  and  grasped  his  hand. 
Carroll,  who  would  have  evaded  this  semblance  of  disguise, 
had  no  time  to  parley,  and  they  turned  together,  through 
the  door  by  which  Pereo  had  entered,  into  a  long  dark  pas- 
sage, which  seemed  to  be  made  through  the  outer  shell  of 


MARUJA  125 

the  building  that  flanked  the  park.  Following  his  guide  in 
the  profound  obscurity,  perfectly  conscious  that  any  change 
in  his  madness  might  be  followed  by  a  struggle  in  the  dark, 
where  no  help  could  reach  them,  they  presently  came  to  a 
door  that  opened  upon  the  fresh  smell  of  rain  and  leaves. 
They  were  standing  at  the  bottom  of  a  secluded  alley,  be- 
tween two  high  hedges  that  hid  it  from  the  end  of  the 
garden.  Its  grass-grown  walk  and  untrimmed  hedges  showed 
that  it  was  seldom  used.  Carroll,  still  keeping  close  to 
Pereo' s  side,  felt  him  suddenly  stop  and  tremble.  "  Look  !  " 
he  said,  pointing  to  a  shadowy  figure  some  distance  before 
them  ;  "  look,  'tis  Maruja,  and  alone  !  " 

With  a  dexterous  movement,  Carroll  managed  to  slip  his 
arm  securely  through  the  old  man's,  and  even  to  throw  him- 
self before  him,  as  if  in  his  eagerness  to  discern  the  figure. 

"  'T  is  Maruja  —  and  alone  !  "  said  Pereo,  trembling. 
"  Alone  !  Eh  !  And  the  Coyote  is  not  here  !  "  He  passed 
his  hand  over  his  staring  eyes.  "  So."  Suddenly  he 
turned  upon  Carroll.  "  Ah,  do  you  not  see,  it  is  a  trick  ! 
The  Coyote  is  escaping  with  Faquita  !  Come  !  Nay  ;  thou 
wilt  not  ?  Then  will  I !  "  With  an  unexpected  strength 
born  of  his  madness,  he  freed  his  arm  from  Carroll  and 
darted  down  the  alley.  The  figure  of  Maruja,  evidently 
alarmed  at  his  approach,  glided  into  the  hedge,  as  Pereo 
passed  swiftly  by,  intent  only  on  his  one  wild  fancy. 
Without  a  further  thought  of  his  companion  or  even  the 
luckless  Faquita,  Carroll  also  plunged  through  the  hedge, 
to  intercept  Maruja.  But  by  that  time  she  was  already 
crossing  the  upper  end  of  the  lawn,  hurrying  towards  the 
entrance  to  the  patio.  Carroll  did  not  hesitate  to  follow. 
Keeping  in  view  the  lithe,  dark,  active  little  figure,  now 
hidden  by  an  intervening  cluster  of  bushes,  now  fading  in 
the  gathering  evening  shadows,  he  nevertheless  did  not 
succeed  in  gaining  upon  her  until  she  had  nearly  reached 
the  patio.  Here  he  lost  ground,  as,  turning  to  the  right, 


126  MAEUJA 

instead  of  entering  the  courtyard,  she  kept  her  way  toward 
the  stables.  He  was  near  enough,  however,  to  speak. 
"  One  moment,  Miss  Saltonstall,"  he  said  hurriedly ;  "  there 
is  no  danger.  I  am  alone.  But  I  must  speak  with  you." 

The  young  girl  seemed  only  to  redouble  her  exertions. 
At  last  she  stopped  before  a  narrow  door  hidden  in  the 
wall,  and  fumbled  in  her  pocket  for  a  key.  That  moment 
Carroll  was  upon  her. 

"  Forgive  me,  Miss  Saltonstall  —  Maruja  ;  but  you  must 
hear  me !  You  are  safe,  but  I  fear  for  your  maid, 
Faquita !  " 

A  little  laugh  followed  his  speech  ;  the  door  yielded  and 
opened  to  her  vanishing  figure.  For  an  instant  the  lace 
shawl  muffling  her  face  was  lifted,  as  the  door  closed  and 
locked  behind  her.  Carroll  drew  back  in  consternation, 
It  was  the  laughing  eyes  and  saucy  face  of  Faquita. 


CHAPTER  XII 

WHEN  Captain  Carroll  turned  from  the  highroad  into 
the  lane,  an  hour  before,  Maruja  and  Faquita  had  already 
left  the  house  by  the  same  secret  passage  and  garden-door 
that  opened  afterwards  upon  himself  and  Pereo.  The 
young  women  had  evidently  changed  dresses :  Maruja  was 
wearing  the  costume  of  her  maid ;  Faquita  was  closely 
veiled  and  habited  like  her  mistress ;  but  it  was  character- 
istic that,  while  Faquita  appeared  awkward  and  overdressed 
in  her  borrowed  plumes,  Maruja's  short  saya  and  trim  bod- 
ice, with  the  striped  shawl  that  hid  her  fair  hair,  looked 
infinitely  more  coquettish  and  bewitching  than  on  their 
legitimate  owner. 

They  passed  hurriedly  down  the  long  alley,  and  at  its 
further  end  turned  at  right  angles  to  a  small  gate  half  hid- 
den in  the  shrubbery.  It  opened  upon  a  venerable  vine- 
yard, that  dated  back  to  the  occupation  of  the  padres,  but 
was  now  given  over  to  the  chance  cultivation  of  peons  and 
domestics.  Its  long,  broken  rows  of  low  vines,  knotted 
and  overgrown  with  age,  reached  to  the  thicketed  hillside 
of  buckeye  that  marked  the  beginning  of  the  Canada. 
Here  Maruja  parted  from  her  maid,  and  muffling  the  shawl 
more  closely  round  her  head,  hastily  passed  between  the 
vine  rows  to  a  ruined  adobe  building  near  the  hillside.  It 
was  originally  part  of  the  refectory  of  the  old  Mision,  but 
had  been  more  recently  used  as  a  vinadero's  cottage.  As 
she  neared  it,  her  steps  grew  slower,  until,  reaching  its 
door,  she  hesitated,  with  her  hand  timidly  on  the  latch. 
The  next  moment  she  opened  it  gently  ;  it  was  closed 


128  MARUJA 

quickly  behind  her,  and  with  a  little  stifled  cry,  she  found 
herself  in  the  arms  of  Henry  Guest. 

It  was  only  for  an  instant ;  the  pleading  of  her  white 
hands,  disengaged  from  his  neck,  where  at  first  they  had 
found  themselves,  and  uplifted  before  her  face,  touched 
him  more  than  the  petitioning  eyes  or  the  sweet  voiceless 
mouth,  whose  breath  even  was  forgotten.  Letting  her  sink 
into  the  chair  from  which  he  had  just  risen,  he  drew  back 
a  step,  with  his  hands  clasped  before  him,  and  his  dark 
half-savage  eyes  bent  earnestly  upon  her.  Well  might  he 
have  gazed.  It  was  no  longer  the  conscious  beauty,  proud 
and  regnant,  seated  before  him  ;  but  a  timid,  frightened 
girl,  struggling  with  her  first  deep  passion. 

All  that  was  wise  and  gentle  that  she  had  intended  to 
say,  all  that  her  clear  intellect  and  experience  had  taught 
her,  died  upon  her  lips  with  that  kiss.  And  all  that  she 
could  do  of  womanly  dignity  and  high-bred  decorum  was  to 
tuck  her  small  feet  under  her  chair,  in  the  desperate  at- 
tempt to  lengthen  her  short  skirt,  and  beg  him  not  to  look 
at  her. 

"  I  have  had  to  change  dresses  with  Faquita,  because  we 
were  watched,"  she  said,  leaning  forward  in  her  chair  and 
drawing  the  striped  shawl  around  her  shoulders.  "  I  have 
had  to  steal  out  of  my  mother's  house  and  through  the 
fields,  as  if  I  was  a  gypsy.  If  I  only  were  a  gypsy,  Harry, 
and  not "  — 

"  And  not  the  proudest  heiress  in  the  land,"  he  inter- 
rupted, with  something  of  his  old  bitterness.  "  True,  I 
had  forgot." 

"  But  I  never  reminded  you  of  it,"  she  said,  lifting  her 
eyes  to  his.  "I  did  not  remind  you  of  it  on  that  day  — 
in  —  in  —  in  the  conservatory,  nor  at  the  time  you  first 
spoke  of  —  of  —  love  to  me  —  nor  from  the  time  I  first 
consented  to  meet  you  here.  It  is  you,  Harry,  who  have 
spoken  of  the  difference  of  our  condition,  you  who  have 


MARUJA  129 

talked  of  my  wealth,  my  family,  my  position  —  until  I 
would  gladly  have  changed  places  with  Faquita  as  I  have 
garments,  if  I  had  thought  it  would  make  you  happier." 

"  Forgive  me,  darling  !  "  he  said,  dropping  on  one  knee 
before  her  and  bending  over  the  cold  little  hand  he  had 
taken,  until  his  dark  head  almost  rested  in  her  lap.  "  For- 
give me  !  You  are  too  proud,  Maruja,  to  admit,  even  to 
yourself,  that  you  have  given  your  heart  where  your  hand 
and  fortune  could  not  follow.  But  others  may  not  think 
so.  I  am  proud,  too,  and  will  not  have  it  said  that  I  have 
won  you  before  I  was  worthy  of  you." 

"  You  have  no  right  to  be  more  proud  than  I,  sir,"  she 
said,  rising  to  her  feet,  with  a  touch  of  her  old  supreme 
assertion.  "  No  —  don't,  Harry  —  please,  Harry  —  there  !  " 
Nevertheless,  she  succumbed ;  and  when  she  went  on,  it 
was  with  her  head  resting  on  his  shoulder.  "  It 's  this 
deceit  and  secrecy  that  is  so  shameful,  Harry.  I  think  I 
could  bear  everything  with  you,  if  it  were  all  known  —  if 
you  came  to  woo  me  like  —  like  —  the  others.  Even  if 
they  abused  you  —  if  they  spoke  of  your  doubtful  origin  — 
of  your  poverty  —  of  your  hardships  !  When  they  aspersed 
you,  I  could  fight  them ;  when  they  spoke  of  your  having 
no  father  that  you  could  claim,  I  could  even  lie  for  you,  I 
think,  Harry,  and  say  that  you  had  ;  if  they  spoke  of  your 
poverty,  I  would  speak  of  my  wealth ;  if  they  talked  of 
your  hardships,  I  should  only  be  proud  of  your  endurance 
—  if  I  could  only  keep  the  tears  from  my  eyes  !  "  They 
were  there  now.  He  kissed  them  away. 

"  But  if  they  threatened  you  ?  If  they  drove  me  from 
the  house  ?  " 

"I  should  fly  with  you,"  she  said,  hiding  her  head  in 
his  breast. 

"  What  if  I  were  to  ask  you  to  fly  with  me  now  ?  "  he 
said  gloomily. 

"  Now !  "  she  repeated,  lifting  her  frightened  eyes  to  his» 


130  MARUJA 

His  face  darkened,  with  its  old  look  of  savage  resent- 
ment. "  Hear  me,  Maruja,"  he  said,  taking  her  hands 
tightly  in  his  own.  "  When  I  forgot  myself  —  when  I 
was  mad  that  day  in  the  conservatory,  the  only  expiation 
I  could  think  of  was  to  swear  in  my  inmost  soul  that  I 
would  never  take  advantage  of  your  forgiveness,  that  I 
would  never  tempt  you  to  forget  yourself,  your  friends, 
your  family,  for  me,  an  unknown  outcast.  When  I  found 
you  pitied  me,  and  listened  to  my  love  —  I  was  too  weak 
to  forego  the  one  ray  of  sunshine  in  my  wretched  life  — 
and  thinking  that  I  had  a  prospect  before  me  in  an  idea  I 
promised  to  reveal  to  you  later,  I  swore  never  to  beguile 
you  or  myself  in  that  hope  by  any  act  that  might  bring 
you  to  repent  it  —  or  myself  to  dishonor.  But  I  taxed 
myself  too  much,  Maruja.  I  have  asked  too  much  of  you. 
You  are  right,  darling  ;  this  secrecy  —  this  deceit  —  is  un- 
worthy of  us  !  Every  hour  of  it —  blest  as  it  has  been  to 
me  —  every  moment  —  sweet  as  it  is  —  blackens  the  purity 
of  our  only  defense,  makes  you  false  and  me  a  coward ! 
It  must  end  here  —  to-day  !  Maruja,  darling,  my  precious 
one !  God  knows  what  may  be  the  success  of  my  plans. 
We  have  but  one  chance  now.  I  must  leave  here  to-day, 
never  to  return,  or  I  must  take  you  with  me.  Do  not 
start,  Maruja  —  but  hear  me  out.  Dare  you  risk  all  ? 
Dare  you  fly  with  me  now,  to-night,  to  the  old  Padre  at 
the  ruined  Mision,  and  let  him  bind  us  in  those  bonds  that 
none  dare  break  ?  We  can  take  Faquita  with  us  —  it  is 
but  a  few  miles  —  and  we  can  return  and  throw  ourselves 
at  your  mother's  feet.  She  can  only  drive  us  forth  together. 
Or  we  can  fly  from  this  cursed  wealth,  and  all  the  misery 
it  has  entailed  —  forever." 

She  raised  her  head,  and  with  her  two  hands  on  his 
shoulders,  gazed  at  him  with  her  father's  searching  eyes, 
as  if  to  read  his  very  soul. 

u  Are  you  mad,  Harry  !  —  think  what  you  propose !     Is 


MARUJA  131 

this  not  tempting  me  ?  Think  again,  dearest,"  she  said, 
half  convulsively,  seizing  his  arm  when  her  grasp  had 
slipped  from  his  shoulder. 

There  was  a  momentary  silence  as  she  stood  with  her 
eyes  fixed  almost  wildly  on  his  set  face.  But  a  sudden 
shock  against  the  bolted  door  and  an  inarticulate  outcry 
startled  them.  With  an  instinctive  movement,  Guest 
threw  his  arm  round  her. 

"  It  ?s  Pereo,"  she  said  in  a  hurried  whisper,  but  once 
more  mistress  of  her  strength  and  resolution.  "He  is 
seeking  you  !  Fly  at  once.  He  is  mad,  Harry ;  a  raving 
lunatic.  He  watched  us  the  last  time.  He  has  tracked 
us  here.  He  suspects  you.  You  must  not  meet  him. 
You  can  escape  through  the  other  door,  that  opens  upon 
the  canada.  If  you  love  me  —  fly  !  " 

"  And  leave  you  exposed  to  his  fury —  are  you  mad  ! 
No.  Fly  yourself  by  the  other  door,  lock  it  behind  you, 
and  alarm  the  servants.  I  will  open  this  door  to  him, 
secure  him  here,  and  then  be  gone.  Do  not  fear  for  me. 
There  is  no  danger  —  and  if  I  mistake  not,"  he  added, 
with  a  strange  significance,  "  he  will  hardly  attack  me !  " 

"  But  he  may  have  already  alarmed  the  household. 
Hark  !  " 

There  was  the  noise  of  a  struggle  outside  the  door,  and 
then  the  voice  of  Captain  Carroll,  calm  and  collected,  rose 
clearly  for  an  instant.  "  You  are  quite  safe,  Miss  Salton- 
stall.  I  think  I  have  him  secure,  but  perhaps  you  had 
better  not  open  the  door  until  assistance  comes." 

They  gazed  at  each  other,  without  a  word.  A  grim 
challenge  played  on  Guest's  lips.  Maruja  lifted  her  little 
hands  deliberately,  and  clasped  them  round  his  defiant 
neck. 

"  Listen,  darling,"  she  said  softly  and  quietly,  as  if  only 

the  security  of  silence    and  darkness    encompassed    them. 

'You  asked  me  just  now  if  I  would  fly  with  you  —  if  I 


132  MARUJA 

would  marry  you  without  the  consent  of  my  family  — 
against  the  protest  of  my  friends  —  and  at  once  !  I  hesi- 
tated, Harry,  for  I  was  frightened  and  foolish.  But  I  say 
to  you  now  that  I  will  marry  you  when  and  where  you  like 
—  for  I  love  you,  Harry,  and  you  alone." 

"  Then  let  us  go  at  once,"  he  said,  passionately  seiz- 
ing her ;  "  we  can  reach  the  road  by  the  Canada  before 
assistance  comes  —  before  we  are  discovered.  Come  !  " 

"  And  you  will  remember  in  the  years  to  come,  Harry," 
she  said,  still  composedly,  and  with  her  arms  still  around 
his  neck,  "  that  I  never  loved  any  but  you  —  that  I  never 
knew  what  love  was  before,  and  that  since  I  have  loved 
you  —  I  have  never  thought  of  any  other.  Will  you 
not  ?  " 

"  I  will  —  and  now  "  — 

"  And  now,"  she  said,  with  a  superb  gesture  towards  the 
barrier  which  separated  them  from  Carroll,  "  OPEN  THE 
DOOR  I " 


CHAPTER  XIII 

WITH  a  swift  glance  of  admiration  at  Maruja,  Guest 
flung  open  the  door.  The  hastily  summoned  servants  were 
already  bearing  away  the  madman,  exhausted  by  his  efforts. 
Captain  Carroll  alone  remained  there,  erect  and  motionless, 
before  the  threshold. 

At  a  sign  from  Maruja,  he  entered  the  room.  In  the 
flash  of  light  made  by  the  opening  door,  he  had  been  per- 
fectly conscious  of  her  companion,  but  not  a  motion  of  his 
eye  or  the  movement  of  a  muscle  of  his  face  betrayed  it. 
The  trained  discipline  of  his  youth  stood  him  in  good  ser- 
vice, and  for  the  moment  left  him  master  of  the  situation. 

"  I  think  no  apology  is  needed  for  this  intrusion,"  he 
said,  with  cool  composure.  "  Pereo  seemed  intent  on  mur- 
dering somebody  or  something,  and  I  followed  him  here. 
I  suppose  I  might  have  got  him  away  more  quietly,  but  I 
was  afraid  you  might  have  thoughtlessly  opened  the  door." 
He  stopped,  and  added,  "  I  see  now  how  unfounded  was  the 
supposition." 

It  was  a  fatal  addition.  In  the  next  instant,  the  Maruja 
who  had  been  standing  beside  Guest,  conscious-stricken  and 
remorseful  in  the  presence  of  the  man  she  had  deceived, 
and  calmly  awaiting  her  punishment,  changed  at  this  luck- 
less exhibition  of  her  own  peculiar  womanly  weapons.  The 
old  Maruja,  supreme,  ready,  undaunted,  and  passionless, 
returned  to  the  fray. 

"  You  were  wrong,  Captain,"  she  said  sweetly  ;  "  fortu- 
nately, Mr.  Guest  —  whom  I  see  you  have  forgotten  in  your 
absence  —  was  with  me,  and  I  think  would  have  felt  it  his 


134  MAKUJA 

duty  to  have  protected  me.  But  I  thank  you  all  the  same, 
and  I  think  even  Mr.  Guest  will  not  allow  his  envy  of  your 
good  fortune  in  coming  so  gallantly  to  my  rescue  to  prevent 
his  appreciating  its  full  value.  I  am  only  sorry  that  on 
your  return  to  La  Mision  Perdida  you  should  have  fallen 
into  the  arms  of  a  madman  before  extending  your  hands  to 
your  friends." 

Their  eyes  met.  She  saw  that  he  hated  her — and  felt 
relieved. 

"  It  may  not  have  been  so  entirely  unfortunate/7  he 
said,  with  a  coldness  strongly  in  contrast  with  his  gradually 
blazing  eyes,  "  for  I  was  charged  with  a  message  to  you, 
in  which  this  madman  is  supposed  by  some  to  play  an 
important  part.7' 

"  Is  it  a  matter  of  business  ?  "  said  Maruja  lightly,  yet 
with  a  sudden  instinctive  premonition  of  coming  evil  in  the 
relentless  tones  of  his  voice. 

"It  is  business,  Miss  Saltonstall  —  purely  and  simply 
business/7  said  Carroll  dryly,  "  under  whatever  other  name 
it  may  have  been  since  presented  to  you.77 

"  Perhaps  you  have  no  objection  to  tell  it  before  Mr. 
Guest/7  said  Maruja,  with  an  inspiration  of  audacity  ;  "it 
sounds  so  mysterious  that  it  must  be  interesting.  Otherwise, 
Captain  Carroll,  who  abhors  business,  would  not  have  under- 
taken it  with  more  than  his  usual  enthusiasm.7' 

"As  the  business  does  interest  Mr.  Guest,  or  Mr.  West, 
or  whatever  name  he  may  have  decided  upon  since  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  meeting  him/7  said  Carroll  —  for  the  first 
time  striking  fire  from  the  eyes  of  his  rival  —  "I  see  no 
reason  why  I  should  not,  even  at  the  risk  of  telling  you 
what  you  already  know.  Briefly,  then,  Mr.  Prince  charged 
me  to  advise  you  and  your  mother  to  avoid  litigation  with 
this  gentleman,  and  admit  his  claim,  as  the  son  of  Dr. 
West,  to  his  share  of  the  property.77 

The  utter  consternation  and  bewilderment  shown  in  the 


MARUJA  135 

face  of  Maruja  convinced  Carroll  of  his  fatal  error.  She 
had  received  the  addresses  of  this  man  without  knowing 
his  real  position  !  The  wild  theory  that  had  seemed  to 
justify  his  resentment  —  that  she  had  sold  herself  to  Guest 
to  possess  the  property  —  now  recoiled  upon  him  in  its 
utter  baseness.  She  had  loved  Guest  for  himself  alone  ;  by 
this  base  revelation  he  had  helped  to  throw  her  into  his 
arms. 

But  he  did  not  even  yet  know  Maruja.  Turning  to 
Guest,  with  flashing  eyes,  she  said,  "  Is  it  true  —  are  you 
the  son  of  Dr.  West,  and  "  —  she  hesitated  —  "  kept  out 
of  your  inheritance  by  us  ?  " 

"  I  am  the  son  of  Dr.  West,"  he  said  earnestly,  "  though 
I  alone  had  the  right  to  tell  you  that  at  the  proper  time 
and  occasion.  Believe  me  that  I  have  given  no  one  the 
right —  least  of  all  any  tool  of  Prince  —  to  trade  upon  it." 

"  Then,"  said  Carroll  fiercely,  forgetting  everything  in 
his  anger,  "  perhaps  you  will  disclaim  before  this  young 
lady  the  charge  made  by  your  employer  that  Pereo  was 
instigated  to  Dr.  West's  murder  by  her  mother  ?  " 

Again  he  had  overshot  the  mark.  The  horror  and  indig- 
nation depicted  in  Guest's  face  were  too  plainly  visible  to 
Maruja,  as  well  as  himself,  to  permit  a  doubt  that  the  idea 
was  as  new  as  the  accusation.  Forgetting  her  bewilderment 
at  these  revelations,  her  wounded  pride,  a  torturing  doubt 
suggested  by  Guest's  want  of  confidence  in  her  —  indeed 
everything  but  the  outraged  feelings  of  her  lover,  she  flew 
to  his  side.  "  Not  a  word,"  she  said  proudly,  lifting  her 
little  hand  before  his  darkening  face.  "  Do  not  insult  me 
by  replying  to  such  an  accusation  in  my  presence.  Captain 
Carroll,"  she  continued,  turning  towards  him,  "I  cannot 
forget  that  you  were  introduced  into  my  mother's  house  as 
an  officer  and  a  gentleman.  When  you  return  to  it  as  such, 
and  not  as  a  man  of  business,  you  will  be  welcome.  Until 
then,  farewell  !  " 


136  MARUJA 

She  remained  standing,  erect  and  passionless,  as  Carroll, 
with  a  cold  salutation,  stepped  back  and  disappeared  in 
the  darkness  ;  and  then  she  turned,  and  with  tottering 
step  and  a  little  cry,  fell  upon  Guest's  breast.  "  O  Harry 

—  Harry  !  —  why  have  you  deceived  me  !  " 

"  I  thought  it  for  the  best,  darling,"  he  said,  lifting  her 
face  to  his.  "  You  know  now  the  prospect  I  spoke  of  — 
the  hope  that  buoyed  me  up  !  I  wanted  to  win  you  my- 
self alone,  without  appealing  to  your  sense  of  justice  or  even 
your  sympathies  !  I  did  win  you.  God  knows,  if  I  had 
not,  you  would  never  have  learned  through  me  that  a  son  of 
Dr.  West  had  ever  lived.  But  that  was  not  enough.  When 
I  found  that  I  could  establish  my  right  to  my  father's  pro- 
perty, I  wanted  you  to  marry  me  before  you  knew  it ;  so 
that  it  never  could  be  said  that  you  were  influenced  by  any- 
thing but  love  for  me.  That  was  why  I  came  here  to-day. 
That  was  why  I  pressed  you  to  fly  with  me  !  " 

He  ceased.  She  was  fumbling  with  the  buttons  of  his 
waistcoat.  "  Harry,"  she  said  softly,  "  did  you  think  of 
the  property  when  —  when —  you  kissed  me  in  the  conser- 
vatory ?  " 

"  I  thought  of  nothing  but  you"  he  answered  tenderly. 

Suddenly  she  started  from  his  embrace.      "  But  Pereo ! 

—  Harry  —  tell    me  quick  —  no  one  —  nobody  can    think 
that  this  poor  demented  old  man  could — that  Dr.  West 
was  —  that  —  it 's  all  a  trick  —  is  n't  it  ?  Harry  —  speak  !  " 

He  was  silent  for  a  moment,  and  then  said  gravely, 
"  There  were  strange  men  at  the  fonda  that  night,  and  — 
my  father  was  supposed  to  carry  money  with  him.  My 
own  life  was  attempted  at  the  Mision  the  same  evening  for 
the  sake  of  some  paltry  gold  pieces  that  I  had  imprudently 
shown.  I  was  saved  solely  by  the  interference  of  one  man. 
That  man  was  Pereo,  your  major-domo  !  " 

She  seized  his  hand  and  raised  it  joyfully  to  her  lips. 
"  Thank  you  for  those  words  !  And  you  will  come  to  him 


MARUJA  137 

with  me  at  once ;  and  he  will  recognize  you  ;  and  we  will 
laugh  at  those  lies  ;  won't  we,  Harry  ?  " 

He  did  not  reply.  Perhaps  he  was  listening  to  a  con- 
fused sound  of  voices  rapidly  approaching  the  cottage. 
Together  they  stepped  out  into  the  gathering  night.  A 
number  of  figures  were  coming  towards  them,  among  them 
Faquita,  who  ran  a  little  ahead  to  meet  her  mistress. 

"  Oh,  Dona  Maruja,  he  has  escaped !  " 

"  Who  ?      Not  Pereo  !  " 

"  Truly.  And  on  his  horse.  It  was  saddled  and  "bridled 
in  the  stable  all  day.  One  knew  it  not.  He  was  walking 
like  a  cat,  when  suddenly  he  parted  the  peons  around  him, 
like  grain  before  a  mad  bull  —  and  behold  !  he  was  on  the 
pinto's  back  and  away.  And,  alas  !  there  is  no  horse  that 
can  keep  up  with  the  pinto.  God  grant  he  may  not  get  in 
the  way  of  the  r-r-railroad,  that,  in  his  very  madness,  he  will 
even  despise." 

"  My  own  horse  is  in  the  thicket,"  whispered  Guest,  hur- 
riedly, in  Maruja's  ear.  "  I  have  measured  him  with  the 
pinto  before  now.  Give  me  your  blessing,  and  I  will  bring 
him  back  if  he  be  alive." 

She  pressed  his  hand  and  said,  "  Go."  Before  the  aston- 
ished servants  could  identify  the  strange  escort  of  their  mis- 
tress, he  was  gone. 

It  was  already  quite  dark.  To  any  but  Guest,  who  had 
made  the  topography  of  La  Mision  Perdida  a  practical  study, 
and  who  had  known  the  habitual  circuit  of  the  major-domo 
in  his  efforts  to  avoid  him,  the  search  would  have  been 
hopeless.  But  rightly  conjecturing  that  he  would  in  his 
demented  condition  follow  the  force  of  habit,  he  spurred  his 
horse  along  the  highroad  until  he  reached  the  lane  leading 
to  the  grassy  amphitheatre  already  described,  which  was 
once  his  favorite  resort.  Since  then  it  had  participated  in 
the  terrible  transformation  already  wrought  in  the  valley  by 
the  railroad.  A  deep  cutting  through  one  of  the  grassy 


138  MARUJA 

hills  had  been  made  for  the  line  that  now  crossed  the  lower 
arc  of  the  amphitheatre. 

His  conjecture  was  justified  on  entering  it  by  the  appear- 
ance of  a  shadowy  horseman  in  full  career  round  the  circle, 
and  he  had  no  difficulty  in  recognizing  Pereo.  As  there  was 
no  other  exit  than  the  one  by  which  he  came,  the  other  being 
inaccessible  by  reason  of  the  railroad  track,  he  calmly 
watched  him  twice  make  the  circuit  of  the  arena,  ready  to 
ride  towards  him  when  he  showed  symptoms  of  slackening 
his  speed. 

Suddenly  he  became  aware  of  some  strange  exercise  on  the 
part  of  the  mysterious  rider ;  and  as  the  latter  swept  by  on 
the  nearer  side  of  the  circle,  Guest  saw  that  he  was  throw- 
ing a  lasso !  A  horrible  thought  that  he  was  witnessing  an 
insane  rehearsal  of  the  murder  of  his  father  flashed  across 
his  mind. 

A  far-off  whistle  from  the  distant  woods  recalled  him  to 
his  calmer  senses  at  the  same  moment  that  it  seemed  also  to 
check  the  evolutions  of  the  furious  rider.  Guest  felt  confi- 
dent that  the  wretched  man  could  not  escape  him  now.  It 
was  the  approaching  train,  whose  appearance  would  undoubt- 
edly frighten  Pereo  toward  the  entrance  of  the  little  valley 
guarded  by  him.  The  hillside  was  already  alive  with  the 
clattering  echoes  of  the  oncoming  monster,  when,  to  his 
horror,  he  saw  the  madman  advancing  rapidly  towards  the 
cutting.  He  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  started  in  pursuit ; 
but  the  train  was  already  emerging  from  the  narrow  passage, 
followed  by  the  furious  rider,  who  had  wheeled  abreast  of 
the  engine,  and  was,  for  a  moment  or  two,  madly  keeping 
up  with  it.  Guest  shouted  to  him,  but  his  voice  was  lost 
in  the  roar  of  the  rushing  caravan. 

Something  seemed  to  fly  from  Pereo's  hand.  The  next 
moment  the  train  had  passed ;  rider  and  horse,  crushed  and 
battered  out  of  all  life,  were  rolling  in  the  ditch,  while  the 
murderer's  empty  saddle  dangled  at  the  end  of  a  lasso,  caught 


MARUJA  139 

on  the  smoke-stack  of  one  of  the  murdered  man's  avenging 
improvements ! 

The  marriage  of  Maruja  and  the  son  of  the  late  Dr.  West 
was  received  in  the  valley  of  San  Antonio  as  one  of  the 
most  admirably  conceived  and  skillfully  matured  plans  of 
that  lamented  genius.  There  were  many  who  were  ready  to 
state  that  the  Doctor  had  confided  it  to  them  years  before ; 
and  it  was  generally  accepted  that  the  widow  Saltoristall  had 
been  simply  made  a  trustee  for  the  benefit  of  the  prospective 
young  couple.  Only  one  person,  perhaps,  did  not  entirely 
accept  these  views;  it  was  Mr.  James  Prince  —  otherwise 
known  as  Aladdin.  In  later  years,  he  is  said  to  have  stated 
authoritatively  "  that  the  only  combination  in  business  that 
was  uncertain  —  was  man  and  woman." 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 
CHAPTER  I 

FOB  some  moments  profound  silence  and  darkness  had 
accompanied  a  Sierran  stagecoach  towards  the  Summit. 
The  huge,  dim  bulk  of  the  vehicle,  swaying  noiselessly  on 
its  straps,  glided  onward  and  upward  as  if  obeying  some 
mysterious  impulse  from  behind,  so  faint  and  indefinite  ap- 
peared its  relation  to  the  viewless  and  silent  horses  ahead. 
The  shadowy  trunks  of  tall  trees  that  seemed  to  approach 
the  coach  windows,  look  in,  and  then  move  hurriedly 
away,  were  the  only  distinguishable  objects.  Yet  even 
these  were  so  vague  and  unreal  that  they  might  have  been 
the  mere  phantoms  of  some  dream  of  the  half-sleeping  pas- 
sengers ;  for  the  thickly  strewn  needles  of  the  pine,  that 
choked  the  way  and  deadened  all  sound,  yielded  under  the 
silently  crushing  wheels  a  faint  soporific  odor  that  seemed 
to  benumb  their  senses,  already  slipping  back  into  uncon- 
sciousness during  the  long  ascent.  Suddenly  the  stage 
stopped. 

Three  of  the  four  passengers  inside  struggled  at  once 
into  upright  wakefulness.  The  fourth  passenger,  John 
Hale,  had  not  been  sleeping,  and  turned  impatiently  towards 
the  window.  It  seemed  to  him  that  two  of  the  moving 
trees  had  suddenly  become  motionless  outside.  One  of 
them  moved  again,  and  the  door  opened  quickly  but  quietly, 
as  of  itself. 

"  Git  down,"  said  a  voice  in  the  darkness. 

All  the  passengers  except  Hale  started.     The  man  next 


SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S  141 

to  him  moved  his  right  hand  suddenly  behind  him,  but  as 
quickly  stopped.  One  of  the  motionless  trees  had  appar- 
ently closed  upon  the  vehicle,  and  what  had  seemed  to  be  a 
bough  projecting  from  it  at  right  angles  changed  slowly 
into  the  faintly  shining  double-barrels  of  a  gun  at  the 
window. 

"  Drop  that !  "  said  the  voice. 

The  man  who  had  moved  uttered  a  short  laugh,  and 
returned  his  hand  empty  to  his  knees.  The  two  others 
perceptibly  shrugged  their  shoulders  as  over  a  game  that 
was  lost.  The  remaining  passenger,  John  Hale,  fearless 
by  nature,  inexperienced  by  habit,  awaking  suddenly  to  the 
truth,  conceived  a  desperate  resistance.  But  without  his 
making  a  gesture  this  was  instinctively  felt  by  the  others ; 
the  muzzle  of  the  gun  turned  spontaneously  on  him,  and  he 
was  vaguely  conscious  of  a  certain  contempt  and  impatience 
of  him  in  his  companions. 

"  Git  down,"  repeated  the  voice  imperatively. 

The  three  passengers  descended.  Hale,  furious,  alert, 
but  helpless  of  any  opportunity,  followed.  He  was  sur- 
prised to  find  the  stage-driver  and  express  messenger  stand- 
ing beside  him ;  he  had  not  heard  them  dismount.  He 
instinctively  looked  toward  the  horses.  He  could  see 
nothing. 

"  Hold  up  your  hands  !  " 

One  of  the  passengers  had  already  lifted  his,  in  a  weary, 
perfunctory  way.  The  others  did  the  same  reluctantly  and 
awkwardly,  but  apparently  more  from  the  consciousness  of 
the  ludicrousness  of  their  attitude  than  from  any  sense  of 
danger.  The  rays  of  a  bull's-eye  lantern,  deftly  managed 
by  invisible  hands,  while  it  left  the  intruders  in  shadow, 
completely  illuminated  the  faces  and  figures  of  the  passen- 
gers. In  spite  of  the  majestic  obscurity  and  silence  of 
surrounding  nature,  the  group  of  humanity  thus  illuminated 
was  more  farcical  than  dramatic.  A  scrap  of  newspaper, 


142  SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S 

part  of  a  sandwich,  and  an  orange  peel  that  had  fallen  from 
the  floor  of  the  coach,  brought  into  equal  prominence  by 
the  searching  light,  completed  the  absurdity. 

"  There  's  a  man  here  with  a  package  of  greenbacks," 
said  the  voice,  with  an  official  coolness  that  lent  a  certain 
suggestion  of  Custom  House  inspection  to  the  transaction^ 
"  who  is  it  ?  "  The  passengers  looked  at  each  other,  and 
their  glance  finally  settled  on  Hale. 

"It 's  not  him,"  continued  the  voice,  with  a  slight  tinge 
of  contempt  on  the  emphasis.  "  You  '11  save  time  and 
searching,  gentlemen,  if  you  '11  tote  it  out.  If  we  've  got 
to  go  through  every  one  of  you  we  '11  try  to  make  it  pay." 

The  significant  threat  was  not  unheeded.  The  passenger 
who  had  first  moved  when  the  stage  stopped  put  his  hand 
to  his  breast. 

"  T'other  pocket  first,  if  you  please,"  said  the  voice. 

The  man  laughed,  drew  a  pistol  from  his  hip  pocket,  and, 
under  the  strong  light  of  the  lantern,  laid  it  on  a  spot  in 
the  road  indicated  by  the  voice.  A  thick  envelope,  taken 
from  his  breast  pocket,  was  laid  beside  it.  "  I  told  the 
d — d  fools  that  gave  it  to  me,  instead  of  sending  it  by 
express,  it  would  be  at  their  own  risk,"  he  said  apologeti- 
cally. 

"  As  it 's  going  with  the  express  now,  it 's  all  the  same," 
said  the  inevitable  humorist  of  the  occasion,  pointing  to  the 
despoiled  express  treasure-box  already  in  the  road. 

The  intention  and  deliberation  of  the  outrage  was  plain 
enough  to  Hale's  inexperience  now.  Yet  he  could  not  un- 
derstand the  cool  acquiescence  of  his  fellow  passengers,  and 
was  furious.  His  reflections  were  interrupted  by  a  voice 
which  seemed  to  come  from  a  greater  distance.  He  fancied 
it  was  even  softer  in  tone,  as  if  a  certain  austerity  waa 
relaxed. 

"  Step  in  as  quick  as  you  like,  gentlemen.  You  ?ve  five 
minutes  to  wait,  Bill." 


SNOW-BOUND    AT  EAGLE'S  143 

The  passengers  reentered  the  coach  ;  the  driver  and  ex- 
press messenger  hurriedly  climhed  to  their  places.  Hale 
would  have  spoken,  but  an  impatient  gesture  from  his  com- 
panions stopped  him.  They  were  evidently  listening  for 
something  ;  he  listened  too. 

Yet  the  silence  remained  unbroken.  It  seemed  incredi- 
ble that  there  should  be  no  indication  near  or  far  of  that 
forceful  presence  which  a  moment  ago  had  been  so  domi- 
nant. No  rustle  in  the  wayside  "  brush/7  nor  echo  from 
the  rocky  canon  below,  betrayed  a  sound  of  their  flight.  A 
faint  breeze  stirred  the  tall  tips  of  the  pines,  a  cone 
dropped  on  the  stage  roof,  one  of  the  invisible  horses  that 
seemed  to  be  listening  too  moved  slightly  in  his  harness. 
But  this  only  appeared  to  accentuate  the  profound  stillness. 
The  moments  were  growing  interminable,  when  the  voice, 
so  near  as  to  startle  Hale,  broke  once  more  from  the  sur- 
rounding obscurity. 

"  Good-night ! " 

It  was  the  signal  that  they  were  free.  The  driver's  whip 
cracked  like  a  pistol-shot,  the  horses  sprang  furiously  for- 
ward, the  huge  vehicle  lurched  ahead,  and  then  bounded 
violently  after  them.  When  Hale  could  make  his  voice 
heard  in  the  confusion  —  a  confusion  which  seemed  greater 
from  the  colorless  intensity  of  their  last  few  moments'  ex- 
perience —  he  said  hurriedly,  "  Then  that  fellow  was  there 
all  the  time  ?  " 

"  I  reckon,"  returned  his  companion,  "  he  stopped  five 
minutes  to  cover  the  driver  with  his  double-barrel,  until 
the  two  other  men  got  off  with  the  treasure." 

"  The  two  others  !  "  gasped  Hale.  "  Then  there  were 
only  three  men,  and  we  six." 

The  man  shrugged  his  shoulders.  The  passenger  who 
had  given  up  the  greenbacks  drawled,  with  a  slow,  irritat- 
ing tolerance,  "  I  reckon  you  're  a  stranger  here  ?  " 

"  I  am  —  to  this  sort  of  thing,  eertainly,  though  I  live  a 


144  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

dozen  miles  from  here,  at  Eagle's  Court,"  returned  Hale 
scornfully. 

"  Then  you  're  the  chap  that 's  doin'  that  fancy  ranchin* 
over  at  Eagle's  ?  "  continued  the  man  lazily. 

"  Whatever  I  'm  doing  at  Eagle's  Court,  I  'm  not 
ashamed  of  it,"  said  Hale  tartly  ;  "  and  that 's  more  than  I 
can  say  of  what  I  've  done  —  or  have  n't  done  —  to-night. 
I  've  been  one  of  six  men  overawed  and  robbed  by  three." 

"As  to  the  over-awin',  ez  you  call  it  —  mebbe  you 
know  more  about  it  than  us.  As  to  the  robbin'  —  ez  far  as 
I  kin  remember,  you  have  n't  onloaded  much.  Ef  you  're 
talkin'  about  what  oughter  been  done,  I  '11  tell  you  what 
could  have  happened.  P'r'aps  ye  noticed  that  when  he 
pulled  up  I  made  a  kind  of  grab  for  my  wepping  behind 
me?" 

"I  did;  and  you  weren't  quick  enough,"  said  Hale 
shortly. 

"  I  was  n't  quick  enough,  and  that  saved  you.  For  ef  I 
got  that  pistol  out  and  in  sight  o'  that  man  that  held  the 
gun  "  — 

"  Well,"  said  Hale  impatiently,  "  he  'd  have  hesitated." 

"  He  M  hev  blown  you  with  both  barrels  outer  the  win- 
dow, and  that  before  I  'd  got  a  half-cock  on  my  revolver." 

"  But  that  would  have  been  only  one  man  gone,  and  there 
would  have  been  five  of  you  left,"  said  Hale  haughtily. 

"  That  might  have  been,  ef  you  'd  contracted  to  take  the 
hull  charge  of  two  handfuls  of  buckshot  and  slugs ;  but  ez 
one  eighth  o'  that  amount  would  have  done  your  business, 
and  yet  left  enough  to  have  gone  round,  promiskiss,  and 
satisfied  the  other  passengers,  it  would  n't  do  to  kalkilate 
upon." 

"  But  the  express  messenger  and  the  driver  were  armed," 
continued  Hale. 

"They  were  armed,  but  not  fixed;  that  makes  all  the 
difference." 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  145 

"  I  don't  understand." 

"  I  reckon  you  know  what  a  duel  is  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  the  chances  agin  us  was  about  the  same  as  you  'd 
have  ef  you  was  put  up  agin  another  chap  who  was  allowed 
to  draw  a  bead  on  you,  and  the  signal  to  fire  was  your 
drawin'  your  weapon.  You  may  be  a  stranger  to  this  sort 
o'  thing,  and  pVaps  you  never  fought  a  duel,  but  even 
then  you  would  n't  go  foolin'  your  life  away  on  any  such 
chances." 

Something  in  the  man's  manner,  as  in  a  certain  sly 
amusement  the  other  passengers  appeared  to  extract  from 
the  conversation,  impressed  Hale,  already  beginning  to  be 
conscious  of  the  ludicrous  insufficiency  of  his  own  grievance 
beside  that  of  his  interlocutor. 

"  Then  you  mean  to  say  this  thing  is  inevitable,"  said  he 
bitterly,  but  less  aggressively. 

"  Ez  long  ez  they  hunt  you ;  when  you  hunt  them 
you  've  got  the  advantage,  allus  provided  you  know  how  to 
get  at  them  ez  well  as  they  know  how  to  get  at  you.  This 
yer  coach  is  bound  to  go  regular,  and  on  certain  days. 
They  ain't.  By  the  time  the  sheriff  gets  out  his  posse 
they  've  skedaddled,  and  the  leader,  like  as  not,  is  takin'  his 
quiet  cocktail  at  the  Bank  Exchange,  or  mebbe  losin'  his 
earnings  to  the  sheriff  over  draw-poker,  in  Sacramento. 
You  see,  you  can't  prove  anything  agin  them  unless  you 
take  them  'on  the  fly.'  It  may  be  a  part  of  Joaquim 
Murietta's  band,  though  I  would  n't  swear  to  it." 

"  The  leader  might  have  been  Gentleman  George,  from 
up-country,"  interposed  a  passenger.  "  He  seemed  to  throw 
in  a  few  fancy  touches,  particlerly  in  that  '  Good-night.' 
Sorter  chucked  a  little  sentiment  in  it.  Did  n't  seem  to  be 
the  same  thing  ez  '  Git,  yer  d — d  suckers ! '  on  the  other 
line." 

"  Whoever  he  was,  he  knew  the  road  and  the  men  who 


146  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

traveled  on  it.  Like  ez  not,  he  went  over  the  line  beside 
the  driver  on  the  box  on  the  down  trip,  and  took  stock  of 
everything.  He  even  knew  I  had  those  greenbacks  ;  though 
they  were  handed  to  me  in  the  bank  at  Sacramento.  He 
must  have  been  hangin'  round  there." 

For  some  moments  Hale  remained  silent.  He  was  a 
civic-bred  man,  with  an  intense  love  of  law  and  order ;  the 
kind  of  man  who  is  the  first  to  take  that  law  and  order  into 
his  own  hands  when  he  does  not  find  it  existing  to  please 
him.  He  had  a  Bostonian's  respect  for  respectability,  tra- 
dition, and  propriety,  but  was  willing  to  face  irregularity 
and  impropriety  to  create  order  elsewhere.  He  was  fond 
of  Nature  with  these  limitations,  never  quite  trusting  her 
unguided  instincts,  and  finding  her  as  an  instructress  greatly 
inferior  to  Harvard  University,  though  possibly  not  to  Cor- 
nell. With  dauntless  enterprise  and  energy  he  had  built 
and  stocked  a  charming  cottage  farm  in  a  nook  in  the 
Sierras,  whence  he  opposed,  like  the  lesser  Englishman  that 
he  was,  his  own  tastes  to  those  of  the  alien  West.  In  the 
present  instance  he  felt  it  incumbent  upon  him  not  only  to 
assert  his  principles,  but  to  act  upon  them  with  his  usual 
energy.  How  far  he  was  impelled  by  the  half -contemptu- 
ous passiveness  of  his  companions  it  would  be  difficult  to 
say. 

"  What  is  to  prevent  the  pursuit  of  them  at  once  ?  "  he 
asked  suddenly.  "  We  are  a  few  miles  from  the  station, 
where  horses  can  be  procured. " 

"  Who 's  to  do  it  ?  "  replied  the  other  lazily.  "  The 
stage  company  will  lodge  the  complaint  with  the  authori- 
ties, but  it  will  take  two  days  to  get  the  county  officers 
out,  and  it 's  nobody  else's  funeral." 

"  I  will  go  for  one,"  said  Hale  quietly.  "  I  have  a 
horse  waiting  for  me  at  the  station,  and  can  start  at  once." 

There  was  an  instant  of  silence.  The  stagecoach  had 
left  the  obscurity  of  the  forest,  and  by  the  stronger  light 


SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S  147 

Hale  could  perceive  that  his  companion  was  examining  him 
with  two  colorless,  lazy  eyes.  Presently  he  said,  meeting 
Hale's  clear  glance,  but  rather  as  if  yielding  to  a  careless 
reflection  :  — 

"  It  might  be  done  with  four  men.  We  oughter  raise 
one  man  at  the  station.'7  He  paused.  "I  don't  know  ez 
I  'd  mind  taking  a  hand  myself,"  he  added,  stretching  out 
his  legs  with  a  slight  yawn. 

"  Ye  can  count  me  in,  if  you  're  goin',  Kernel.  I  reckon 
I  'm  talkin'  to  Kernel  Clinch,"  said  the  passenger  beside 
Hale  with  sudden  alacrity.  "  I  'm  B-awlins,  of  'Frisco. 
Heerd  of  ye  afore,  Kernel,  and  kinder  spotted  you  jist 
now  from  your  talk." 

To  Hale's  surprise,  the  two  men,  after  awkwardly  and 
perfunctorily  grasping  each  other's  hand,  entered  at  once 
into  a  languid  conversation  on  the  recent  election  at  Fresno, 
without  the  slightest  further  reference  to  the  pursuit  of  the 
robbers.  It  was  not  until  the  remaining  and  undenominated 
passenger  turned  to  Hale,  and,  regretting  that  he  had  im- 
mediate business  at  the  Summit,  offered  to  accompany  the 
party  if  they  would  wait  a  couple  of  hours,  that  Colonel 
Clinch  briefly  returned  to  the  subject. 

"  Four  men  will  do,  and  ez  we  '11  hev  to  take  horses 
from  the  station  we  '11  hev  to  take  the  fourth  man  from 
there." 

With  these  words  he  resumed  his  uninteresting  conver- 
sation with  the  equally  uninterested  Rawlins,  and  the 
undenominated  passenger  subsided  into  an  admiring  and 
dreamy  contemplation  of  them  both.  With  all  his  princi- 
ple and  really  high-minded  purpose,  Hale  could  not  help 
feeling  constrained  and  annoyed  at  the  sudden  subordinate 
and  auxiliary  position  to  which  he,  the  projector  of  the  en- 
terprise, had  been  reduced.  It  was  true  that  he  had  never 
offered  himself  as  their  leader ;  it  was  true  that  the  princi- 
ple he  wished  to  uphold  and  the  effect  he  sought  to  obtain 


148  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 

would  be  equally  demonstrated  under  another ;  it  was  true 
that  the  execution  of  his  own  conception  gravitated  by 
some  occult  impulse  to  the  man  who  had  not  sought  it,  and 
whom  he  had  always  regarded  as  an  incapable.  But  all 
this  was  so  unlike  precedent  or  tradition  that,  after  the 
fashion  of  conservative  men,  he  was  suspicious  of  it,  and 
only  that  his  honor  was  now  involved  he  would  have  with- 
drawn from  the  enterprise.  There  was  still  a  chance  of 
reasserting  himself  at  the  station,  where  he  was  known, 
and  where  some  authority  might  be  deputed  to  him. 

But  even  this  prospect  failed.  The  station,  half  stable, 
contained  only  the  landlord,  who  was  also  express  agent, 
and  the  new  volunteer  whom  Clinch  had  suggested  would 
be  found  among  the  stable-men.  The  nearest  justice  of  the 
peace  was  ten  miles  away,  and  Hale  had  to  abandon  even 
his  hope  of  being  sworn  in  as  a  deputy  constable.  This  in- 
troduction of  a  common  and  illiterate  hostler  into  the  party 
on  equal  terms  with  himself  did  not  add  to  his  satisfaction, 
and  a  remark  from  Eawlins  seemed  to  complete  his  embar- 
rassment. 

"  Ye  had  a  mighty  narrer  escape  down  there  just  now," 
said  that  gentleman  confidentially,  as  Hale  buckled  his  sad- 
dle-girths. 

"  I  thought,  as  we  were  not  supposed  to  defend  our- 
selves, there  was  no  danger/'  said  Hale  scornfully. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  mean  them  road  agents.     But  him." 

"  Who  ?  " 

"  Kernel  Clinch.  You  jist  ez  good  as  allowed  he  had  n't 
any  grit." 

"  Whatever  I  said,  I  suppose  I  am  responsible  for  it," 
answered  Hale  haughtily. 

"  That 's  what  gits  me,"  was  the  imperturbable  reply. 
"  He 's  the  best  shot  in  Southern  California,  and  hez  let 
daylight  through  a  dozen  chaps  afore  now  for  half  what  you 
said." 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  149 

"  Indeed  !  " 

"  Howsummever,"  continued  Kawlins  philosophically, 
"  ez  he  's  concluded  to  go  with  ye  instead  of  for  ye,  you  're 
likely  to  hev  your  ideas  on  this  matter  carried  out  up  to 
the  handle.  He  '11  make  short  work  of  it,  you  bet.  Ef, 
ez  I  suspect,  the  leader  is  an  airy  young  feller  from  'Frisco, 
who  hez  took  to  the  road  lately,  Clinch  hez  got  a  personal 
grudge  agin  him  from  a  quarrel  over  draw-poker." 

This  was  the  last  blow  to  Hale's  ideal  crusade.  Here 
he  was  —  an  honest,  respectable  citizen  —  engaged  as  sim- 
ple accessory  to  a  lawless  vendetta  originating  at  a  gam- 
bling-table !  When  the  first  shock  was  over  that  grim 
philosophy  which  is  the  reaction  of  all  imaginative  and 
sensitive  natures  came  to  his  aid.  He  felt  better ;  oddly 
enough  he  began  to  be  conscious  that  he  was  thinking  and 
acting  like  his  companions.  With  this  feeling  a  vague 
sympathy,  before  absent,  faintly  showed  itself  in  their  ac- 
tions. The  Sharpe's  rifle  put  into  his  hands  by  the  stable- 
man was  accompanied  by  a  familiar  word  of  suggestion  as 
to  an  equal,  which  he  was  ashamed  to  find  flattered  him. 
He  was  able  to  continue  the  conversation  with  Eawlins 
more  coolly. 

"  Then  you  suspect  who  is  the  leader  ?  " 

"  Only  on  giniral  principles.  There  was  a  finer  touch, 
so  to  speak,  in  this  yer  robbery  that  wasn't  in  the  old- 
fashioned  style.  Down  in  my  country  they  hed  crude 
ideas  about  them  things  —  used  to  strip  the  passengers  of 
everything,  includin'  their  clothes.  They  say  that  at  the 
station  hotels,  when  the  coach  came  in,  the  folks  used  to 
stand  round  with  blankets  to  wrap  up  the  passengers  so  ez 
not  to  skeer  the  wimen.  Thar 's  a  story  that  the  driver 
and  express  manager  drove  up  one  day  with  only  a  copy  of 
the  'Alty  Califofny'  wrapped  around  'em;  but  thin," 
added  Eawlins  grimly,  "  there  was  folks  ez  said  the  hull 
story  was  only  an  advertisement  got  up  for  the  '  Alty.' " 


150  SNOW-BOUND  AT   EAGLE'S 

"Time's  up." 

"  Are  you  ready,  gentlemen  ?  "  said  Colonel  Clinch. 

Hale  started.  He  had  forgotten  his  wife  and  family  at 
Eagle's  Court,  ten  miles  away.  They  would  he  alarmed  at 
his  absence,  would  perhaps  hear  some  exaggerated  version 
of  the  stagecoach  robbery,  and  fear  the  worst. 

"  Is  there  any  way  I  could  send  a  line  to  Eagle's  Court 
before  daybreak  ?  "  he  asked  eagerly. 

The  station  was  already  drained  of  its  spare  men  and 
horses.  The  undenominated  passenger  stepped  forward 
and  offered  to  take  it  himself  when  his  business,  which  he 
would  dispatch  as  quickly  as  possible,  was  concluded. 

"  That  ain't  a  bad  idea,"  said  Clinch  reflectively,  "  for 
ef  yer  hurry  you  '11  head  'em  off  in  case  they  scent  us,  and 
try  to  double-back  on  the  North  Ridge.  They  '11  fight 
shy  of  the  trail  if  they  see  anybody  on  it,  and  one  man  's 
as  good  as  a  dozen." 

Hale  could  not  help  thinking  that  he  might  have  been 
that  one  man,  and  had  his  opportunity  for  independent 
action  but  for  his  rash  proposal,  but  it  was  too  late  to 
withdraw  now.  He  hastily  scribbled  a  few  lines  to  his 
wife  on  a  sheet  of  the  station  paper,  handed  it  to  the  man, 
and  took  his  place  in  the  little  cavalcade  as  it  filed  silently 
down  the  road. 

They  had  ridden  in  silence  for  nearly  an  hour,  and  had 
passed  the  scene  of  the  robbery  by  a  higher  track.  Morn- 
ing had  long  ago  advanced  its  colors  on  the  cold  white 
peaks  to  their  right,  and  was  taking  possession  of  the  spur 
where  they  rode. 

"  It  looks  like  snow,"  said  Eawlins  quietly. 

Hale  turned  towards  him  in  astonishment.  Nothing  on 
earth  or  sky  looked  less  likely.  It  had  been  cold,  but 
that  might  have  been  only  a  current  from  the  frozen  peaks 
beyond,  reaching  the  lower  valley.  The  ridge  on  which 
they  had  halted  was  still  thick  with  yellowish-green  sum- 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  151 

mer  foliage,  mingled  with  the  darker  evergreen  of  pine  and 
fir.  Oven-like  canons  in  the  long  flanks  of  the  mountain 
seemed  still  to  glow  with  the  heat  of  yesterday's  noon ;  the 
breathless  air  yet  trembled  and  quivered  over  stifling  gorges 
and  passes  in  the  granite  rocks,  while  far  at  their  feet  sixty 
miles  of  perpetual  summer  stretched  away  over  the  winding 
American  River,  now  and  then  lost  in  a  gossamer  haze. 
It  was  scarcely  ripe  October  where  they  stood ;  they  could 
see  the  plenitude  of  August  still  lingering  in  the  valleys. 

"  I  've  seen  Thomson's  Pass  choked  up  with  fifteen  feet 
o'  snow  earlier  than  this,"  said  Eawlins,  answering  Hale's 
gaze  ;  u  and  last  September  the  passengers  sledded  over  the 
road  we  came  last  night,  and  all  the  time  Thomson,  a  mile 
lower  down  over  the  ridge  in  the  hollow,  smoking  his  pipes 
under  roses  in  his  piazzy  !  Mountains  is  mighty  uncertain ; 
they  make  their  own  weather  ez  they  want  it.  I  reckon 
you  ain't  wintered  here  yet  ?  " 

Hale  was  obliged  to  admit  that  he  had  only  taken  Eagle's 
Court  in  the  early  spring. 

"  Oh,  you  're  all  right  at  Eagle's  —  when  you  're  there  ! 
But  it's  like  Thomson's  —  it's  the  gettin'  there  that  — 
Hallo!  What's  that?" 

A  shot,  distant  but  distinct,  had  rung  through  the  keen 
air.  It  was  followed  by  another  so  alike  as  to  seem  an  echo. 

"  That 's  over  yon,  on  the  North  Ridge,"  said  the  hostler, 
"  about  two  miles  as  the  crow  flies  and  five  by  the  trail. 
Somebody  's  shootin'  b'ar." 

"  Not  with  a  shot-gun,"  said  Clinch,  quickly  wheeling  his 
horse  with  a  gesture  that  electrified  them.  "  It 's  them,  and 
they  've  doubled  on  us  !  To  the  North  Ridge,  gentlemen, 
and  ride  all  you  know  !  " 

It  needed  no  second  challenge  to  completely  transform 
that  quiet  cavalcade.  The  wild  man-hunting  instinct, 
inseparable  to  most  humanity,  rose  at  their  leader's  look  and 
word.  With  an  incoherent  and  unintelligible  cry,  giving 


152  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

voice  to  the  chase  like  the  commonest  hound  of  their  fields, 
the  order-loving  Hale  and  the  philosophical  Eawlins  wheeled 
with  the  others,  and  in  another  instant  the  little  band  swept 
out  of  sight  in  the  forest. 

An  immense  and  immeasurable  quiet  succeeded.  The 
sunlight  glistened  silently  on  cliff  and  scar,  the  vast  distance 
below  seemed  to  stretch  out  and  broaden  into  repose.  It 
might  have  been  fancy,  but  over  the  sharp  line  of  the  North 
Eidge  a  light  smoke  lifted  as  of  an  escaping  soul. 


CHAPTER   II 

EAGLE'S  COURT,  one  of  the  highest  canons  of  the  Sierras, 
was  in  reality  a  plateau  of  table-land,  embayed  like  a  green 
lake  in  a  semicircular  sweep  of  granite,  that,  lifting  itself 
three  thousand  feet  higher,  became  a  foundation  for  the 
eternal  snows.  The  mountain  genii  of  space  and  atmosphere 
jealously  guarded  its  seclusion  and  surrounded  it  with 
illusions ;  it  never  looked  to  be  exactly  what  it  was :  the 
traveler  who  saw  it  from  the  North  Ridge  apparently  at 
his  feet  in  descending  found  himself  separated  from  it  by  a 
mile-long  abyss  and  a  rushing  river ;  those  who  sought  it  by 
a  seeming  direct  trail  at  the  end  of  an  hour  lost  sight  of  it 
completely,  or,  abandoning  the  quest  and  retracing  their 
steps,  suddenly  came  upon  the  gap  through  which  it  was 
entered.  That  which  from  the  Ridge  appeared  to  be  a  copse 
of  bushes  beside  the  tiny  dwelling  were  trees  three  hundred 
feet  high ;  the  cultivated  lawn  before  it,  which  might  have 
been  covered  by  the  traveler's  handkerchief,  was  a  field  of 
a  thousand  acres. 

The  house  itself  was  a  long,  low,  irregular  structure, 
chiefly  of  roof  and  veranda,  picturesquely  upheld  by  rustic 
pillars  of  pine,  with  the  bark  still  adhering,  and  covered  with 
vines  and  trailing  roses.  Yet  it  was  evident  that  the  cool- 
ness produced  by  this  vast  extent  of  cover  was  more  than 
the  architect,  who  had  planned  it  under  the  influence  of  a 
staring  and  bewildering  sky,  had  trustfully  conceived,  for  it 
had  to  be  mitigated  by  blazing  fires  in  open  hearths  when 
the  thermometer  marked  a  hundred  degrees  in  the  field 
beyond.  The  dry,  restless  wind  that  continually  rocked  the 


154  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

tall  masts  of  the  pines  with  a  sound  like  the  distant  sea, 
while  it  stimulated  outdoor  physical  exertion  and  defied 
fatigue,  left  the  sedentary  dwellers  in  these  altitudes  chilled 
in  the  shade  they  courted,  or  scorched  them  with  heat  when 
they  ventured  to  bask  supinely  in  the  sun.  White  muslin 
curtains  at  the  French  windows,  and  rugs,  skins,  and  heavy 
furs  dispersed  in  the  interior,  with  certain  other  charming 
but  incongruous  details  of  furniture,  marked  the  inconsist- 
encies of  the  climate. 

There  was  a  coquettish  indication  of  this  in  the  costume 
of  Miss  Kate  Scott  as  she  stepped  out  on  the  veranda  that 
morning.  A  man's  broad-brimmed  Panama  hat,  partly  un- 
sexed  by  a  twisted  gayly  colored  scarf,  but  retaining  enough 
character  to  give  piquancy  to  the  pretty  curves  of  the  face 
beneath,  protected  her  from  the  sun  ;  a  red  flannel  shirt  — 
another  spoil  from  the  enemy  —  and  a  thick  jacket  shielded 
her  from  the  austerities  of  the  morning  breeze.  But  the 
next  inconsistency  was  peculiarly  her  own.  Miss  Kate 
always  wore  the  freshest  and  lightest  of  white  cambric 
skirts,  without  the  least  reference  to  the  temperature.  To 
the  practical  sanatory  remonstrances  of  her  brother-in-law, 
and  to  the  conventional  criticism  of  her  sister,  she  opposed 
the  same  defense  :  "  How  else  is  one  to  tell  when  it  is  sum- 
mer in  this  ridiculous  climate  ?  And  then,  woolen  is  stuffy, 
color  draws  the  sun,  and  one  at  least  knows  when  one  is 
clean  or  dirty."  Artistically  the  result  was  far  from  un- 
satisfactory. It  was  a  pretty  figure  under  the  sombre  pines, 
against  the  gray  granite  and  the  steely  sky,  and  seemed  to 
lend  the  yellowing  fields  from  which  the  flowers  had  already 
fled  a  floral  relief  of  color.  I  do  not  think  the  few  mascu- 
line wayfarers  of  that  locality  objected  to  it  ;  indeed,  some 
had  betrayed  an  indiscreet  admiration,  and  had  curiously 
followed  the  invitation  of  Miss  Kate's  warmly  colored  figure 
until  they  had  encountered  the  invincible  indifference  of 
Miss  Kate's  cold  gray  eyes.  With  these  manifestations  her 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S  155 

brother-in-law  did  not  concern  himself ;  he  had  perfect  con- 
fidence in  her  unqualified  disinterest  in  the  neighboring 
humanity,  and  permitted  her  to  wander  in  her  solitary  pic- 
turesqueness,  or  accompanied  her  when  she  rode  in  her  dark 
green  habit,  with  equal  freedom  from  anxiety. 

For  Miss  Scott,  although  only  twenty,  had  already  sub- 
jected most  of  her  maidenly  illusions  to  mature  critical 
analyses.  She  had  voluntarily  accompanied  her  sister  and 
mother  to  California,  in  the  earnest  hope  that  nature  con- 
tained something  worth  saying  to  her,  and  was  disappointed 
to  find  she  had  already  discounted  its  value  in  the  pages  of 
books.  She  hoped  to  find  a  vague  freedom  in  this  uncon- 
ventional life  thus  opened  to  her,  or  rather  to  show  others 
that  she  knew  how  intelligently  to  appreciate  it,  but  as  yet 
she  was  only  able  to  express  it  in  the  one  detail  of  dress 
already  alluded  to.  Some  of  the  men,  and  nearly  all  the 
women,  she  had  met  thus  far,  she  was  amazed  to  find, 
valued  the  conventionalities  she  believed  she  despised,  and 
were  voluntarily  assuming  the  chains  she  thought  she  had 
thrown  off.  Instead  of  learning  anything  from  them,  these 
children  of  nature  had  bored  her  with  eager  questionings 
regarding  the  civilization  she  had  abandoned,  or  irritated 
her  with  crude  imitations  of  it  for  her  benefit.  "  Fancy," 
she  had  written  to  a  friend  in  Boston,  "  my  calling  on  Sue 
Murphy,  who  remembered  the  Donner  tragedy,  and  who 
once  shot  a  grizzly  that  was  prowling  round  her  cabin,  and 
think  of  her  begging  me  to  lend  her  my  sack  for  a  pattern, 
and  wanting  to  know  if  '  polonays '  were  still  worn."  She 
remembered  more  bitterly  the  romance  that  had  tickled  her 
earlier  fancy,  told  of  two  college  friends  of  her  brother-in- 
law's  who  were  living  the  "  perfect  life  "  in  the  mines, 
laboring  in  the  ditches  with  a  copy  of  Homer  in  their 
pockets,  and  writing  letters  of  the  purest  philosophy  under 
the  free  air  of  the  pines.  How,  coming  unexpectedly  on 
them  in  their  Arcadia,  the  party  found  them  unpresentable 


156  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

through  dirt,  and  thenceforth  unknowable  through  domestic 
complications  that  had  filled  their  Arcadian  cabin  with  half- 
bred  children. 

Much  of  this  disillusion  she  had  kept  within  her  own 
heart,  from  a  feeling  of  pride,  or  only  lightly  touched  upon 
it  in  her  relations  with  her  mother  and  sister.  For  Mrs. 
Hale  and  Mrs.  Scott  had  no  idols  to  shatter,  no  enthusiasm 
to  subdue.  Firmly  and  unalterably  conscious  of  their  own 
superiority  to  the  life  they  led  and  the  community  that  sur- 
rounded them,  they  accepted  their  duties  cheerfully,  and 
performed  them  conscientiously.  Those  duties  were  loyalty 
to  Hale's  interests  and  a  vague  missionary  work  among 
the  neighbors,  which,  like  most  missionary  work,  consisted 
rather  in  making  their  own  ideas  understood  than  in  under- 
standing the  ideas  of  their  audience.  Old  Mrs.  Scott's  zeal 
was  partly  religious,  an  inheritance  from  her  Puritan  an- 
cestry ;  Mrs.  Hale's  was  the  affability  of  a  gentlewoman 
and  the  obligation  of  her  position.  To  this  was  added  the 
slight  langour  of  the  cultivated  American  wife,  whose  health 
has  been  affected  by  the  birth  of  her  first  child,  and  w^hose 
views  of  marriage  and  maternity  were  slightly  tinged  with 
gentle  skepticism.  She  was  sincerely  attached  to  her  hus- 
band, "  who  dominated  the  household  "  like  the  rest  of  his 
"  women-folk/'  with  the  faint  consciousness  of  that  division 
of  service  which  renders  the  position  of  the  sultan  of  a 
seraglio  at  once  so  prominent  and  so  precarious.  The  atti- 
tude of  John  Hale  in  his  family  circle  was  dominant  be- 
cause it  had  never  been  subjected  to  criticism  or  compari- 
son ;  and  perilous  for  the  same  reason. 

Mrs.  Hale  presently  joined  her  sister  in  the  veranda,  and, 
shading  her  eyes  with  a  narrow  white  hand,  glanced  on  the 
prospect  with  a  polite  interest  and  ladylike  urbanity.  The 
searching  sun,  which,  as  Miss  Kate  once  intimated,  was 
"vulgarity  itself,"  stared  at  her  in  return,  but  could  not 
call  a  blush  to  her  somewhat  sallow  cheek.  Neither  could 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  157 

it  detract,  however,  from  the  delicate  prettiness  of  her  re- 
fined face  with  its  soft  gray  shadows,  or  the  dark  gentle 
eyes,  whose  blue- veined  lids  were  just  then  wrinkled  into 
coquettishly  mischievous  lines  by  the  strong  light.  She 
was  taller  and  thinner  than  Kate,  and  had  at  times  a  certain 
shy,  coy  sinuosity  of  movement  which  gave  her  a  more 
virginal  suggestion  than  her  unmarried  sister.  For  Miss 
Kate,  from  her  earliest  youth,  had  been  distinguished  by 
that  matronly  sedateness  of  voice  and  step,  and  complete- 
ness of  figure,  which  indicates  some  members  of  the  gal- 
linaceous tribe  from  their  callow  infancy. 

"  I  suppose  John  must  have  stopped  at  the  Summit  on 
some  business/7  said  Mrs.  Hale,  "  or  he  would  have  been 
here  already.  It's  scarcely  worth  while  waiting  for  him, 
unless  you  choose  to  ride  over  and  meet  him.  You  might 
change  your  dress/'  she  continued,  looking  doubtfully  at 
Kate's  costume.  "Put  on  your  riding-habit,  and  take 
Manuel  with  you." 

"  And  take  the  only  man  we  have,  and  leave  you  alone  ?  " 
returned  Kate  slowly.  "  No  !  " 

"  There  are  the  Chinese  field-hands,"  said  Mrs.  Hale ; 
"  you  must  correct  your  ideas,  and  really  allow  them  some 
humanity,  Kate.  John  says  they  have  a  very  good  com- 
pulsory school  system  in  their  own  country,  and  can  read 
and  write." 

"  That  would  be  of  little  use  to  you  here  alone  if  —  if  " 
—  Kate  hesitated. 

"  If  what  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Hale,  smiling.  "  Are  you  think- 
ing of  Manuel's  dreadful  story  of  the  grizzly  tracks  across 
the  fields  this  morning  ?  I  promise  you  that  neither  I,  nor 
mother,  nor  Minnie  shall  stir  out  of  the  house  until  you 
return,  if  you  wish  it." 

"I  wasn't  thinking  of  that,"  said  Kate;  "though  I 
don't  believe  the  beating  of  a  gong  and  the  using  of  strong 
language  is  the  best  way  to  frighten  a  grizzly  from  the 


158  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 

house.  .Besides,  the  Chinese  are  going  down  the  river  to- 
day to  a  funeral,  or  a  wedding,  or  a  feast  of  stolen  chickens 
—  they  're  all  the  same  —  and  won't  be  here." 

"Then  take  Manuel,"  repeated  Mrs.  Hale.  "We  have 
the  Chinese  servants  and  Indian  Molly  in  the  house  to 
protect  us  from  Heaven  knows  what !  I  have  the  greatest 
confidence  in  Chy-Lee  as  a  warrior,  and  in  Chinese  warfare 
generally.  One  has  only  to  hear  him  pipe  in  time  of  peace 
to  imagine  what  a  terror  he  might  become  in  war  time. 
Indeed,  anything  more  deadly  and  soul-harrowing  than  that 
love-song  he  sang  for  us  last  night  I  cannot  conceive.  But 
really,  Kate,  I  am  not  afraid  to  stay  alone.  You  know 
what  John  says :  we  ought  to  be  always  prepared  for  any- 
thing that  might  happen." 

"  My  dear  Josie,"  returned  Kate,  putting  her  arm  around 
her  sister's  waist,  "  I  am  perfectly  convinced  that  if  three- 
fingered  Jack,  or  two-toed  Bill,  or  even  Joaquim  Murietta 
himself,  should  step,  red-handed,  on  that  veranda,  you 
would  gently  invite  him  to  take  a  cup  of  tea,  inquire  about 
the  state  of  the  road,  and  refrain  delicately  from  any  allu- 
sions to  the  sheriff.  But  I  sha'n't  take  Manuel  from  you. 
I  really  cannot  undertake  to  look  after  his  morals  at  the 
station,  and  keep  him  from  drinking  aguardiente  with  sus- 
picious characters  at  the  bar.  It  is  true  he  '  kisses  my 
hand '  in  his  speech,  even  when  it  is  thickest,  and  offers  his 
back  to  me  for  a  horse-block,  but  I  think  I  prefer  the  sober 
and  honest  familiarity  of  even  that  Pike  County  land- 
lord who  is  satisfied  to  say,  '  Jump,  girl,  and  I  '11  ketch 
ye ! "' 

"  I  hope  you  did  n't  change  your  manner  to  either  of 
them  for  that,"  said  Mrs.  Hale,  with  a  faint  sigh.  "  John 
wants  to  be  good  friends  with  them,  and  they  are  behaving 
quite  decently  lately,  considering  that  they  can't  speak  a 
grammatical  sentence  nor  know  the  use  of  a  fork." 

"And  now  the  man  puts  on  gloves  and  a  tall  hat  to 


SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S  159 

come  here  on  Sundays,  and  the  woman  won't  call  until 
you  've  called  first,"  retorted  Kate ;  "  perhaps  you  call  that 
improvement.  The  fact  is,  Josephine,"  continued  the  young 
girl,  folding  her  arms  demurely,  "  we  might  as  well  admit 
it  at  once  —  these  people  don't  like  us." 

"  That  's  impossible  ! "  said  Mrs.  Hale,  with  sublime 
simplicity.  "  You  don't  like  them,  you  mean." 

"  I  like  them  better  than  you  do,  Josie,  and  that 's  the 
reason  why  /  feel  it  and  you  don't."  She  checked  herself, 
and  after  a  pause  resumed  in  a  lighter  tone  :  "  No ;  I 
sha'n't  go  to  the  station  ;  I  '11  commune  with  nature  to-day, 
and  won't  '  take  any  humanity  in  mine,  thank  you,'  as  Bill 
the  driver  says.  Adios." 

"  I  wish  Kate  would  not  use  that  dreadful  slang,  even  in 
jest,"  said  Mrs.  Scott,  in  her  rocking-chair  at  the  French 
window,  when  Josephine  reentered  the  parlor  as  her  sister 
walked  briskly  away.  "  I  am  afraid  she  is  being  infected 
by  the  people  at  the  station.  She  ought  to  have  a  change." 

"  I  was  just  thinking,"  said  Josephine,  looking  abstract- 
edly at  her  mother,  "  that  I  would  try  to  get  John  to  take 
her  to  San  Francisco  this  winter.  The  Careys  are  expected, 
you  know  ;  she  might  visit  them." 

"  I  'm  afraid,  if  she  stays  here  much  longer,  she  won't 
care  to  see  them  at  all.  She  seems  to  care  for  nothing  now 
that  she  ever  liked  before,"  returned  the  old  lady  omi- 
nously. 

Meantime  the  subject  of  these  criticisms  was  carrying 
away  her  own  reflections  tightly  buttoned  up  in  her  short 
jacket.  She  had  driven  back  her  dog  Spot  —  another  one 
of  her  disillusions,  who,  giving  way  to  his  lower  nature, 
had  once  killed  a  sheep  —  as  she  did  not  wish  her  Jacques- 
like  contemplation  of  any  wounded  deer  to  be  inconsistently 
interrupted  by  a  fresh  outrage  from  her  companion.  The 
air  was  really  very  chilly,  and  for  the  first  time  in  her 
mountain  experience  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  seemed  to 


160  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

be  shorn  of  their  power.  This  compelled  her  to  walk  more 
briskly  than  she  was  conscious  of,  for  in  less  than  an  hour 
she  came  suddenly  and  breathlessly  upon  the  mouth  of  the 
canon,  or  natural  gateway  to  Eagle's  Court. 

To  her  always  a  profound  spectacle  of  mountain  magnifi- 
cence, it  seemed  to-day  almost  terrible  in  its  cold,  strong 
grandeur.  The  narrowing  pass  was  choked  for  a  moment 
between  two  gigantic  buttresses  of  granite,  approaching  each 
other  so  closely  at  their  towering  summits  that  trees  grow- 
ing in  opposite  clefts  of  the  rock  intermingled  their  branches 
and  pointed  the  soaring  Gothic  arch  of  a  stupendous  gate- 
way. She  raised  her  eyes  with  a  quickly  beating  heart. 
She  knew  that  the  interlacing  trees  above  her  were  as  large 
as  those  she  had  just  quitted  ;  she  knew  also  that  the  point 
where  they  met  was  only  halfway  up  the  cliff,  for  she  had 
once  gazed  down  upon  them,  dwindled  to  shrubs  from  the 
airy  summit ;  she  knew  that  their  shaken  cones  fell  a  thou- 
sand feet  perpendicularly,  or  bounded  like  shot  from  the 
scarred  walls  they  bombarded.  She  remembered  that  one 
of  these  pines,  dislodged  from  its  high  foundations,  had  once 
dropped  like  a  portcullis  in  the  archway,  blocking  the  pass, 
and  was  only  carried  afterwards  by  assaults  of  steel  and  fire. 
Bending  her  head  mechanically,  she  ran  swiftly  through  the 
shadowy  passage,  and  halted  only  at  the  beginning  of  the 
ascent  on  the  other  side. 

It  was  here  that  the  actual  position  of  the  plateau,  so  in- 
definite of  approach,  began  to  be  realized.  It  now  appeared 
an  independent  elevation,  surrounded  on  three  sides  by 
gorges  and  watercourses,  so  narrow  as  to  be  overlooked  from 
the  principal  mountain  range,  with  which  it  was  connected 
by  a  long  canon  that  led  to  the  Eidge.  At  the  outlet  of 
this  canon  —  in  bygone  ages  a  mighty  river  —  it  had  the 
appearance  of  having  been  slowly  raised  by  the  diluvium 
of  that  river,  and  the  ddbris  washed  down  from  above  —  a 
suggestion  repeated  in  miniature  by  the  artificial  plateaus  of 


SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S  161 

excavated  soil  raised  before  the  mouths  of  mining  tunnels  in 
the  lower  flanks  of  the  mountain.  It  was  the  realization  of  a 
fact  —  often  forgotten  by  the  dwellers  in  Eagle's  Court  — 
that  the  valley  below  them,  which  was  their  connecting  link 
with  the  surrounding  world,  was  only  reached  by  ascending 
the  mountain,  and  the  nearest  road  was  over  the  higher 
mountain  ridge.  Never  before  had  this  impressed  itself  so 
strongly  upon  the  young  girl  as  when  she  turned  that  morn- 
ing to  look  upon  the  plateau  below  her.  It  seemed  to  illus- 
trate the  conviction  that  had  been  slowly  shaping  itself  out 
of  her  reflections  on  the  conversation  of  that  morning.  It 
was  possible  that  the  perfect  understanding  of  a  higher  life 
was  only  reached  from  a  height  still  greater,  and  that  to 
those  halfway  up  the  mountain  the  summit  was  never 
as  truthfully  revealed  as  to  the  humbler  dwellers  in  the 
valley. 

I  do  not  know  that  these  profound  truths  prevented  her 
from  gathering  some  quaint  ferns  and  berries,  or  from  keep- 
ing her  calm  gray  eyes  open  to  certain  practical  changes 
that  were  taking  place  around  her.  She  had  noticed  a 
singular  thickening  in  the  atmosphere  that  seemed  to  pre- 
vent the  passage  of  the  sun's  rays,  yet  without  diminishing 
the  transparent  quality  of  the  air.  The  distant  snow-peaks 
were  as  plainly  seen,  though  they  appeared  as  if  in  moon- 
light. This  seemed  due  to  no  cloud  or  mist,  but  rather  to 
a  fading  of  the  sun  itself.  The  occasional  flurry  of  wings 
overhead,  the  whirring  of  larger  birds  in  the  cover,  and  a 
frequent  rustling  in  the  undergrowth,  as  of  the  passage  of 
some  stealthy  animal,  began  equally  to  attract  her  attention. 
It  was  so  different  from  the  habitual  silence  of  these  sedate 
solitudes.  Kate  had  no  vague  fear  of  wild  beasts ;  she 
had  been  long  enough  a  mountaineer  to  understand  the 
general  immunity  enjoyed  by  the  unmolesting  wayfarer, 
and  kept  her  way  undismayed.  She  was  descending  an 
abrupt  trail  when  she  was  stopped  by  a  sudden  crash  in 


162  SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S 

the  bushes.  It  seemed  to  come  from  the  opposite  incline, 
directly  in  a  line  with  her,  and  apparently  on  the  very  trail 
that  she  was  pursuing.  The  crash  was  then  repeated  again 
and  again  lower  down,  as  of  a  descending  body.  Expecting 
the  apparition  of  some  fallen  tree,  or  detached  boulder 
bursting  through  the  thicket,  in  its  way  to  the  bottom  of 
the  gulch,  she  waited.  The  foliage  was  suddenly  brushed 
aside,  and  a*  large  grizzly  bear  half  rolled,  half  waddled, 
into  the  trail  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  hill.  A  few 
moments  more  would  have  brought  them  face  to  face  at  the 
foot  of  the  gulch ;  when  she  stopped  there  were  not  fifty 
yards  between  them. 

She  did  not  scream  ;  she  did  not  faint ;  she  was  not 
even  frightened.  There  did  not  seem  to  be  anything  ter- 
rifying in  this  huge,  stupid  beast,  who,  arrested  by  the 
rustle  of  a  stone  displaced  by  her  descending  feet,  rose 
slowly  on  his  haunches  and  gazed  at  her  with  small,  won- 
dering eyes.  Nor  did  it  seem  strange  to  her,  seeing  that 
he  was  in  her  way,  to  pick  up  a  stone,  throw  it  in  his  di- 
rection, and  say  simply,  "  Sho  !  get  away  !  "  as  she  would 
have  done  to  an  intruding  cow.  Nor  did  it  seem  odd  that 
he  should  actually  "  go  away  "  as  he  did,  scrambling  back 
into  the  bushes  again,  and  disappearing  like  some  grotesque 
figure  in  a  transformation  scene.  It  was  not  until  after  he 
had  gone  that  she  was  taken  with  a  slight  nervousness  and 
giddiness,  and  retraced  her  steps  somewhat  hurriedly,  shy- 
ing a  little  at  every  rustle. in  the  thicket.  By  the  time 
she  had  reached  the  great  gateway  she  was  doubtful 
whether  to  be  pleased  or  frightened  at  the  incident,  but 
she  concluded  to  keep  it  to  herself. 

It  was  still  intensely  cold.  The  light  of  the  midday 
sun  had  decreased  still  more,  and  on  reaching  the  plateau 
again  she  saw  that  a  dark  cloud,  hot  unlike  the  precursor 
of  a  thunder-storm,  was  brooding  over  the  snowy  peaks 
beyond.  In  spite  of  the  cold  this  singular  suggestion  of 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  163 

summer  phenomena  was  still  borne  out  by  the  distant  smil- 
ing valley,  and  even  in  the  soft  grasses  at  her  feet.  It 
seemed  to  her  the  crowning  inconsistency  of  the  climate, 
and  with  a  half-serious,  half-playful  protest  on  her  lips  she 
hurried  forward  to  seek  the  shelter  of  the  house. 


CHAPTER  III 

To  Kate's  surprise,  the  lower  part  of  the  house  was  de- 
serted, but  there  was  an  unusual  activity  on  the  floor  above, 
and  the  sound  of  heavy  steps.  There  were  alien  marks 
of  dusty  feet  on  the  scrupulously  clean  passage,  and  on  the 
first  step  of  the  stairs  a  spot  of  blood.  With  a  sudden 
genuine  alarm  that  drove  her  previous  adventure  from  her 
mind,  she  impatiently  called  her  sister's  name.  There  was 
a  hasty  yet  subdued  rustle  of  skirts  on  the  staircase,  and 
Mrs.  Hale,  with  her  finger  on  her  lip,  swept  Kate  uncere- 
moniously into  the  sitting-room,  closed  the  door,  and  leaned 
back  against  it,  with  a  faint  smile.  She  had  a  crumpled 
paper  in  her  hand. 

"  Don't  be  alarmed,  but  read  that  first,"  she  said,  hand- 
ing her  sister  the  paper.  "  It  was  brought  just  now." 

Kate  instantly  recognized  her  brother's  distinct  hand. 
She  read  hurriedly,  "  The  coach  was  robbed  last  night ;  no- 
body hurt.  I  've  lost  nothing  but  a  day's  time,  as  this 
business  will  keep  me  here  until  to-morrow,  when  Manuel 
can  join  me  with  a  fresh  horse.  No  cause  for  alarm.  As 
the  bearer  goes  out  of  his  way  to  bring  you  this,  see  that  he 
wants  for  nothing." 

"  Well,"  said  Kate  expectantly. 

"  Well,  the  <  bearer '  was  fired  upon  by  the  robbers,  who 
were  lurking  on  the  Ridge.  He  was  wounded  in  the  leg. 
Luckily  he  was  picked  up  by  his  friend,  who  was  coming  to 
meet  him,  and  brought  here  as  the  nearest  place.  He  's 
upstairs  in  the  spare  bed  in  the  spare  room,  \vith  his  friend, 
who  won't  leave  his  side.  He  won't  even  have  mother  in 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  165 

the  room.  They  've  stopped  the  bleeding  with  John's 
ambulance  things,  and  now,  Kate,  here  's  a  chance  for  you 
to  show  the  value  of  your  education  in  the  ambulance  class. 
The  ball  has  got  to  be  extracted.  Here's  your  oppor- 
tunity." 

Kate  looked  at  her  sister  curiously.  There  was  a  faint 
pink  flush  on  her  pale  cheeks,  and  her  eyes  were  gently 
sparkling.  She  had  never  seen  her  look  so  pretty  before. 

"  Why  not  have  sent  Manuel  for  a  doctor  at  once  ?  " 
asked  Kate. 

"  The  nearest  doctor  is  fifteen  miles  away,  and  Manuel  is 
nowhere  to  be  found.  Perhaps  he  's  gone  to  look  after  the 
stock.  There  's  some  talk  of  snow  ;  imagine  the  absurdity 
of  it ! " 

"  But  who  are  they  ?  " 

"They  speak  of  themselves  as  t friends,'  as  if  it  were  a 
profession.  The  wounded  one  was  a  passenger,  I  suppose." 

"  But  what  are  they  like  ?  "  continued  Kate.  "  I  sup- 
pose they  're  like  them  all." 

Mrs.  Hale  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  The  wounded  one,  when  he 's  not  fainting  away,  is 
laughing.  The  other  is  a  creature  with  a  mustache,  and 
gloomy  beyond  expression." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  them  ?  "  said  Kate. 

"What  should  I  do  ?  Even  without  John's  letter  I 
could  not  refuse  the  shelter  of  my  house  to  a  wounded  and 
helpless  man.  I  shall  keep  him,  of  course,  until  John  comes. 
Why,  Kate,  I  really  believe  you  are  so  prejudiced  against 
these  people  you  'd  like  to  turn  them  out.  But  I  forget ! 
It 's  because  you  like  them  so  well.  Well,  you  need  not 
fear  to  expose  yourself  to  the  fascinations  of  the  wounded 
Christy  Minstrel  —  I'm  sure  he 's  that  —  or  to  the  unspeak- 
able one,  who  is  shyness  itself,  and  would  not  dare  to  raise 
his  eyes  to  you." 

There  was  a  timid,  hesitating  step  in  the  passage.     It 


166  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

paused  before  the  door,  moved  away,  returned,  and  finally 
asserted  its  intentions  in  the  gentlest  of  taps. 

"It's  him;  I'm  sure  of  it,"  said  Mrs.  Hale,  with  a 
suppressed  smile. 

Kate  threw  open  the  door  smartly,  to  the  extreme  dis- 
comfiture of  a  tall,  dark  figure  that  already  had  slunk  away 
from  it.  For  all  that,  he  was  a  good-looking  enough  fellow, 
with  a  mustache  as  long  and  almost  as  flexible  as  a  ringlet. 
Kate  could  not  help  noticing  also  that  his  hand,  which  was 
nervously  pulling  the  mustache,  was  white  and  thin. 

"  Excuse  me,"  he  stammered,  without  raising  his  eyes, 
"  I  was  looking  for  —  for  —  the  old  lady.  I  —  I  beg  your 
pardon.  I  didn't  know  that  you  —  the  young  ladies  — 
company  —  were  here.  I  intended  —  I  only  wanted  to  say 
that  my  friend "  —  He  stopped  at  the  slight  smile  that 
passed  quickly  over  Mrs.  Hale's  mouth,  and  his  pale  face 
reddened  with  an  angry  flush. 

"  I  hope  he  is  not  worse,"  said  Mrs.  Hale,  with  more  than 
her  usual  languid  gentleness.  "  My  mother  is  not  here 
at  present.  Can  I  —  can  we  —  this  is  my  sister  —  do  as 
well?" 

Without  looking  up  he  made  a  constrained  recognition  of 
Kate's  presence,  that,  embarrassed  and  curt  as  it  was,  had 
none  of  the  awkwardness  of  rusticity. 

"  Thank  you ;  you  're  very  kind.  But  my  friend  is  a 
little  stronger,  and  if  you  can  lend  me  an  extra  horse  I  '11 
try  to  get  him  on  the  Summit  to-night." 

"  But  you  surely  will  not  take  him  away  from  us  so 
soon  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Hale,  with  a  languid  look  of  alarm,  in 
which  Kate,  however,  detected  a  certain  real  feeling. 
"  Wait  at  least  until  my  husband  returns  to-morrow." 

"  He  won't  be  here  to-morrow,"  said  the  stranger  hastily. 
He  stopped,  and  as  quickly  corrected  himself.  "  That  is, 
his  business  is  so  very  uncertain,  my  friend  says." 

Only  Kate  noticed  the  slip ;  but  she  noticed  also  that  her 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  167 

sister  was  apparently  unconscious  of  it.  "  You  think,"  she 
said,  "  that  Mr.  Hale  may  be  delayed  ?  " 

He  turned  upon  her  almost  brusquely.  "  I  mean  that  it 
is  already  snowing  up  there ; "  he  pointed  through  the 
window  to  the  cloud  Kate  had  noticed ;  "  if  it  'comes  down 
lower  in  the  pass  the  roads  will  be  blocked  up.  That  is 
why  it  would  be  better  for  us  to  try  and  get  on  at  once." 

"  But  if  Mr.  Hale  is  likely  to  be  stopped  by  snow,  so  are 
you,"  said  Mrs.  Hale  playfully ;  "  and  you  had  better  let 
us  try  to  make  your  friend  comfortable  here  rather  than 
expose  him  to  that  uncertainty  in  his  weak  condition.  We 
will  do  our  best  for  him.  My  sister  is  dying  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  show  her  skill  in  surgery,"  she  continued,  with 
an  unexpected  mischievousness  that  only  added  to  Kate's 
surprised  embarrassment.  "  Are  n*t  you,  Kate  ?  " 

Equivocal  as  the  young  girl  knew  her  silence  appeared, 
she  was  unable  to  utter  the  simplest  polite  evasion.  Some 
unaccountable  impulse  kept  her  constrained  and  speechless. 
The  stranger  did  not,  however,  wait  for  her  reply,  but,  cast- 
ing a  swift,  hurried  glance  around  the  room,  said,  "It's 
impossible  ;  we  must  go.  In  fact,  I  've  already  taken  the 
liberty  to  order  the  horses  round.  They  are  at  the  door  now. 
You  may  be  certain,"  he  added,  with  quick  earnestness, 
suddenly  lifting  his  dark  eyes  to  Mrs.  Hale,  and  as  rapidly 
withdrawing  them,  "that  your  horse  will  be  returned  at 
once,  and  —  and  —  we  won't  forget  your  kindness."  He 
stopped  and  turned  towards  the  hall.  "I  —  I  have  brought 
my  friend  downstairs.  He  wants  to  thank  you  before  he 
goes." 

As  he  remained  standing  in  the  hall  the  two  women 
stepped  to  the  door.  To  their  surprise,  half  reclining  on  a 
cane  sofa  was  the  wounded  man,  and  what  could  be  seen  of 
his  slight  figure  was  wrapped  in  a  dark  serape.  His  beard- 
less face  gave  him  a  quaint  boyishness  quite  inconsistent 
with  the  mature  lines  of  his  temples  and  forehead.  Pale, 


168  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 

and  in  pain,  as  he  evidently  was,  his  blue  eyes  twinkled 
with  intense  amusement.  Not  only  did  his  manner  offer  a 
marked  contrast  to  the  sombre  uneasiness  of  his  companion, 
but  he  seemed  to  be  the  only  one  perfectly  at  his  ease  in 
the  group  around  him. 

"  It  's  rather  rough  making  you  come  out  here  to  see 
me  off,"  he  said,  with  a  not  unmusical  laugh  that  was  very 
infectious,  "  but  Ned  there,  who  carried  me  downstairs, 
wanted  to  tote  me  round  the  house  in  his  arms  like  a  baby 
to  say  ta-ta  to  you  all.  Excuse  my  not  rising,  but  I  feel 
as  uncertain  below  as  a  mermaid,  and  as  out  of  my  ele- 
ment," he  added,  with  a  mischievous  glance  at  his  friend. 
"Ned  concluded  I  must  go  on.  But  I  must  say  good-by 
to  the  old  lady  first.  Ah  !  here  she  is." 

To  Kate  's  complete  bewilderment,  not  only  did  the  utter 
familiarity  of  this  speech  pass  unnoticed  and  unrebuked  by 
her  sister,  but  actually  her  own  mother  advanced  quickly 
with  every  expression  of  lively  sympathy,  and  with  the 
authority  of  her  years  and  an  almost  maternal  anxiety  en- 
deavored to  dissuade  the  invalid  from  going.  "  This  is  not 
my  house,"  she  said,  looking  at  her  daughter,  "  but  if  it 
were  I  should  not  hear  of  your  leaving,  not  only  to-night, 
but  until  you  were  out  of  danger.  Josephine !  Kate  ! 
What  are  you  thinking  of  to  permit  it  ?  Well,  then,  / 
forbid  it  —  there  !  " 

Had  they  become  suddenly  insane,  or  were  they  be- 
witched by  this  morose  intruder  and  his  insufferably  fa- 
miliar confidant  ?  The  man  was  wounded,  it  was  true;  they 
might  have  to  put  him  up  in  common  humanity  ;  but  here 
was  her  austere  mother,  who  would  n't  come  in  the  room 
when  Whiskey  Dick  called  on  business,  actually  pressing 
both  of  the  invalid's  hands,  while  her  sister,  who  never 
extended  a  finger  to  the  ordinary  visiting  humanity  of  the 
neighborhood,  looked  on  with  evident  complacency. 

The  wounded  man  suddenly  raised  Mrs.  Scott's  hand  to 


SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S  169 

his  lips,  kissed  it  gently,  and,  with  his  smile  quite  vanished, 
endeavored  to  rise  to  his  feet.  "  It 's  of  no  use  —  we  must 
go.  Give  me  your  arm,  Ned.  Quick !  Are  the  horses 
there  ?  " 

"  Dear  me,"  said  Mrs.  Scott  quickly,  "  I  forgot  to  say 
the  horse  cannot  be  found  anywhere.  Manuel  must  have 
taken  him  this  morning  to  look  up  the  stock.  But  he  will 
be  back  to-night  certainly,  and  if  to-morrow  "  — 

The  wounded  man  sank  back  to  a  sitting  position.  "  Is 
Manuel  your  man  ?  "  he  asked  grimly. 

"  Yes." 

The  two  men  exchanged  glances. 

"  Marked  on  his  left  cheek  and  drinks  a  good  deal  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Kate,  finding  her  voice.     "  Why  ?  " 

The  amused  look  came  back  to  the  man's  eyes.  "  That 
kind  of  man  is  n't  safe  to  wait  for.  We  must  take  our 
own  horse,  Ned.  Are  you  ready  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

The  wounded  man  again  attempted  to  rise.  He  fell  back, 
but  this  time  quite  heavily.  He  had  fainted. 

Involuntarily  and  simultaneously  the  three  women  rushed 
to  his  side.  "  He  cannot  go,"  said  Kate  suddenly. 

"  He  will  be  better  in  a  moment." 

"  But  only  for  a  moment.  Will  nothing  induce  you  to 
change  your  mind  ?  " 

As  if  in  reply  a  sudden  gust  of  wind  brought  a  volley  of 
rain  against  the  window. 

"That  will,"  said  the  stranger  bitterly. 

"  The  rain  ?  " 

"  A  mile  from  here  it  is  snow ;  and  before  we  could 
reach  the  Summit  with  these  horses  the  road  would  be  im- 
passable." 

He  made  a  slight  gesture  to  himself,  as  if  accepting  an  in- 
evitable defeat,  and  turned  to  his  companion,  who  was  slowly 
reviving  under  the  active  ministration  of  the  two  women. 


170  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 

The  wounded  man  looked  around  with  a  weak  smile. 
"  This  is  one  way  of  going  off,"  he  said  faintly,  "  but  I 
could  do  this  sort  of  thing  as  well  on  the  road." 

"  You  can  do  nothing  now,"  said  his  friend  decidedly. 
"  Before  we  get  to  the  Gate  the  road  will  be  impassable  for 
our  horses." 

"  For  any  horses  ?  "  asked  Kate. 

"  For  any  horses.  For  any  man  or  beast  I  might  say. 
Where  we  cannot  get  out,  no  one  can  get  in,"  he  added,  as 
if  answering  her  thoughts.  "  I  am  afraid  that  you  won't 
see  your  brother  to-morrow  morning.  But  I  '11  reconnoitre 
as  soon  as  I  can  do  so  without  torturing  him,"  he  said, 
looking  anxiously  at  the  helpless  man  ;  "  he  's  got  about 
his  share  of  pain,  I  reckon,  and  the  first  thing  is  to  get 
him  easier."  It  was  the  longest  speech  he  had  made  to 
her  j  it  was  the  first  time  he  had  fairly  looked  her  in  the 
face.  His  shy  restlessness  had  suddenly  given  way  to 
dogged  resignation,  less  abstracted,  but  scarcely  more  flat- 
tering to  his  entertainers.  Lifting  his  companion  gently  in 
his  arms,  as  if  he  had  been  a  child,  he  reascended  the  stair- 
case, Mrs.  Scott  and  the  hastily  summoned  Molly  following 
with  overflowing  solicitude.  As  soon  as  they  were  alone  in 
the  parlor  Mrs.  Hale  turned  to  her  sister  :  "  Only  that  our 
guests  seemed  to  be  as  anxious  to  go  just  now  as  you  were 
to  pack  them  off,  I  should  have  been  shocked  at  your  in- 
hospitality.  What  has  come  over  you,  Kate  ?  These  are 
the  very  people  you  have  reproached  me  so  often  with  not 
being  civil  enough  to." 

"  But  who  are  they  ?  " 

"  How  do  I  know  ?     There  is  your  brother's  letter." 

She  usually  spoke  of  her  husband  as  "John."  This 
slight  shifting  of  relationship  and  responsibility  to  the 
feminine  mind  was  significant.  Kate  was  a  little  frightened 
and  remorseful. 

"  I  only  meant  you  don't  even  know  their  names." 


SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S  171 

"  That  was  n't  necessary  for  giving  them  a  bed  and  band- 
ages. Do  you  suppose  the  good  Samaritan  ever  asked  the 
wounded  Jew's  name,  and  that  the  Levite  did  not  excuse 
himself  because  the  thieves  had  taken  the  poor  man's  card- 
case  ?  Do  the  directions,  '  In  case  of  accident,'  in  your 
ambulance  rules,  read,  '  First  lay  the  sufferer  on  his  back 
and  inquire  his  name  and  family  connections '  ?  Besides, 
you  can  call  one  '  Ned '  and  the  other  '  George,'  if  you 
like." 

"  Oh,  you  know  what  I  mean,"  said  Kate  irrelevantly. 
"  Which  is  George  ?  " 

"  George  is  the  wounded  man,"  said  Mrs.  Hale  ;  "  not 
the  one  who  talked  to  you  more  than  he  did  to  any  one 
else.  I  suppose  the  poor  man  was  frightened  and  read 
dismissal  in  your  eyes." 

"  I  wish  John  were  here." 

"  I  don't  think  we  have  anything  to  fear  in  his  absence 
from  men  whose  only  wish  is  to  get  away  from  us.  If  it  is 
a  question  of  propriety,  my  dear  Kate,  surely  there  is  the 
presence  of  mother  to  prevent  any  scandal  —  although 
really  her  own  conduct  with  the  wounded  one  is  not  above 
suspicion,"  she  added,  with  that  novel  mischievousness  that 
seemed  a  return  of  her  lost  girlhood.  "  We  must  try  to 
do  the  best  we  can  with  them  and  for  them,"  she  said 
decidedly,  "and  meantime  I'll  see  if  I  can't  arrange  John's 
room  for  them." 

"John's  room?" 

"  Oh,  mother  is  perfectly  satisfied  ;  indeed,  suggested  it. 
It 's  larger  and  will  hold  two  beds,  for  '  Ned,'  the  friend, 
must  attend  to  him  at  night.  And,  Kate,  don't  you  think, 
if  you  're  not  going  out  again,  you  might  change  your  cos- 
tume ?  It  does  very  well  while  we  are  alone  "  — 

"  Well,"  said  Kate  indignantly,  "  as  I  am  not  going  into 
his  room  "  — 

"  I  'm  not  so  sure  about  that,  if  we  can't  get  a  regular 


172  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 

doctor.  But  he  is  very  restless,  and  wanders  all  over  the 
house  like  a  timid  and  apologetic  spaniel." 

"  Who  ?  » 

"  Why  '  Ned.7  But  I  must  go  and  look  after  the  pa- 
tient. I  suppose  they  've  got  him  safe  in  his  bed  again," 
and  with  a  nod  to  her  sister  she  tripped  upstairs. 

Uncomfortable  and  embarrassed,  she  knew  not  why,  Kate 
sought  her  mother.  But  that  good  lady  was  already  in 
attendance  on  the  patient,  and  Kate  hurried  past  that  bale- 
ful centre  of  attraction  with  a  feeling  of  loneliness  and 
strangeness  she  had  never  experienced  before.  Entering 
her  own  room  she  went  to  the  window  —  that  first  and 
last  refuge  of  the  troubled  mind  —  and  gazed  out.  Turn- 
ing her  eyes  in  the  direction  of  her  morning's  walk,  she 
started  back  with  a  sense  of  being  dazzled.  She  rubbed 
first  her  eyes  and  then  the  rain-dimmed  pane.  It  was  no 
illusion !  The  whole  landscape,  so  familiar  to  her,  was 
one  vast  field  of  dead,  colorless  white !  Trees,  rocks,  even 
distance  itself,  had  vanished  in  those  few  hours.  An  even, 
shadowless,  motionless  white  sea  filled  the  horizon.  On 
either  side  a  vast  wall  of  snow  seemed  to  shut  out  the 
world  like  a  shroud.  Only  the  green  plateau  before  her, 
with  its  sloping  meadows  and  fringe  of  pines  and  cotton- 
wood,  lay  alone  like  a  summer  island  in  this  frozen  sea. 

A  sudden  desire  to  view  this  phenomenon  more  closely, 
and  to  learn  for  herself  the  limits  of  this  new  tethered  life, 
completely  possessed  her,  and,  accustomed  to  act  upon  her 
independent  impulses,  she  seized  a  hooded  waterproof 
cloak,  and  slipped  out  of  the  house  unperceived.  The  rain 
was  falling  steadily  along  the  descending  trail  where  she 
walked,  but  beyond,  scarcely  a  mile  across  the  chasm,  the 
wintry  distance  began  to  confuse  her  brain  with  the  inex- 
tricable swarming  of  snow.  Hurrying  down  with  feverish 
excitement,  she  at  last  came  in  sight  of  the  arching  granite 
portals  of  their  domain.  But  her  first  glance  through  the 


SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S  173 

gateway  showed  it  closed  as  if  with  a  white  portcullis.  Kate 
remembered  that  the  trail  began  to  ascend  beyond  the  arch, 
and  knew  that  what  she  saw  was  only  the  mountain  side 
she  had  partly  climbed  this  morning.  But  the  snow  had 
already  crept  down  its  flank,  and  the  exit  by  trail  was 
practically  closed.  Breathlessly  making  her  way  back  to 
the  highest  part  of  the  plateau  —  the  cliff  behind  the  house 
that  here  descended  abruptly  to  the  rain-dimmed  valley  — 
she  gazed  at  the  dizzy  depths  in  vain  for  some  undiscovered 
or  forgotten  trail  along  its  face.  But  a  single  glance  con- 
vinced her  of  its  inaccessibility.  The  gateway  was  indeed 
their  only  outlet  to  the  plain  below.  She  looked  back  at 
the  falling  snow  beyond,  until  she  fancied  she  could  see  in 
the  crossing  and  recrossing  lines  the  moving  meshes  of  a 
fateful  web  woven  around  them  by  viewless  but  inexorable 
fingers. 

Half  frightened,  she  was  turning  away,  when  she  per- 
ceived, a  few  paces  distant,  the  figure  of  the  stranger, 
"  Ned,"  also  apparently  absorbed  in  the  gloomy  prospect. 
He  was  wrapped  in  the  clinging  folds  of  a  black  serape 
braided  with  silver ;  the  broad  flap  of  a  slouched  hat 
beaten  back  by  the  wind  exposed  the  dark,  glistening  curls 
on  his  white  forehead.  He  was  certainly  very  handsome 
and  picturesque,  and  that  apparently  without  effort  or  con- 
sciousness. Neither  was  there  anything  in  his  costume  or 
appearance  inconsistent  with  his  surroundings,  or  even  with 
what  Kate  could  judge  were  his  habits  or  position.  Never- 
theless, she  instantly  decided  that  he  was  too  handsome  and 
too  picturesque,  without  suspecting  that  her  ideas  of  the 
limits  of  masculine  beauty  were  merely  personal  experi- 
ence. 

As  he  turned  away  from  the  cliff  they  were  brought  face 
to  face.  "  It  does  n't  look  very  encouraging  over  there," 
he  said  quietly,  as  if  the  inevitableness  of  the  situation  had 
relieved  him  of  his  previous  shyness  and  effort  j  "  it 'a  even 


174  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 

worse  than  I  expected.  The  snow  must  have  begun  there 
last  night,  and  it  looks  as  if  it  meant  to  stay."  He  stopped 
for  a  moment,  and  then,  lifting  his  eyes  to  her,  said,  "  I 
suppose  you  know  what  this  means  ?  " 

"  I  don't  understand  you." 

"  I  thought  not.  Well !  it  means  that  you  are  abso- 
lutely cut  off  here  from  any  communication  or  intercourse 
with  any  one  outside  of  that  canon.  By  this  time  the 
snow  is  five  feet  deep  over  the  only  trail  by  which  one 
can  pass  in  and  out  of  that  gateway.  I  am  not  alarming 
you,  I  hope,  for  there  is  no  real  physical  danger ;  a  place 
like  this  ought  to  be  well  garrisoned,  and  certainly  is  self- 
supporting  so  far  as  the  mere  necessities  and  even  comforts 
are  concerned.  You  have  wood,  water,  cattle,  and  game  at 
your  command,  but  for  two  weeks  at  least  you  are  com- 
pletely isolated." 

"  For  two  weeks !  "  said  Kate,  growing  pale  —  "  and  my 
brother !  " 

"  He  knows  all  by  this  time,  and  is  probably  as  assured 
as  I  am  of  the  safety  of  his  family." 

"  For  two  weeks !  "  continued  Kate ;  "  impossible  !  You 
don't  know  my  brother  !  He  will  find  some  way  to  get  to 
us." 

"  I  hope  so,"  returned  the  stranger  gravely,  "  for  what 
is  possible  for  him  is  possible  for  us." 

"  Then  you  are  anxious  to  get  away  ?  "  Kate  could  not 
help  saying. 

"  Very." 

The  reply  was  not  discourteous  in  manner,  but  was  so 
far  from  gallant  that  Kate  felt  a  new  and  inconsistent  re- 
sentment. Before  she  could  say  anything  he  added,  "  And 
I  hope  you  will  remember,  whatever  may  happen,  that  I 
did  my  best  to  avoid  staying  here  longer  than  was  necessary 
to  keep  my  friend  from  bleeding  to  death  in  the  road." 

"  Certainly,"    said  Kate ;  then    added   awkwardly,    "  I 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  175 

hope  he  '11  be  better  soon."  She  was  silent,  and  then, 
quickening  her  pace,  said  hurriedly,  "  I  must  tell  my  sis- 
ter this  dreadful  news." 

"  I  think  she  is  prepared  for  it.  If  there  is  anything  I 
can  do  to  help  you  I  hope  you  will  let  me  know.  Perhaps 
I  may  be  of  some  service.  I  shall  begin  by  exploring  the 
trails  to-morrow,  for  the  best  service  we  can  do  you  possi- 
bly is  to  take  ourselves  off ;  but  I  can  carry  a  gun,  and  the 
woods  are  full  of  game  driven  down  from  the  mountains. 
Let  me  show  you  something  you  may  not  have  noticed." 
He  stopped,  and  pointed  to  a  small  knoll  of  sheltered 
shrubbery  and  granite  on  the  opposite  mountain,  which 
still  remained  black  against  the  surrounding  snow.  It 
seemed  to  be  thickly  covered  with  moving  objects.  "  They 
are  wild  animals  driven  out  of  the  snow,"  said  the  stranger. 
"  That  larger  one  is  a  grizzly ;  there  is  a  panther,  wolves, 
wildcats,  a  fox,  and  some  mountain  goats." 

"  An  ill-assorted  party,"  said  the  young  girl. 

"  111  luck  makes  them  companions.  They  are  too  fright- 
ened to  hurt  one  another  now." 

"  But  they  will  eat  each  other  later  on,"  said  Kate,  steal- 
ing a  glance  at  her  companion. 

He  lifted  his  long  lashes  and  met  her  eyes.  "  Not  on 
a  haven  of  refuge." 


CHAPTER  IV 

KATE  found  her  sister,  as  the  stranger  had  intimated, 
fully  prepared.  A  hasty  inventory  of  provisions  and  means 
of  subsistence  showed  that  they  had  ample  resources  for  a 
much  longer  isolation. 

"  They  tell  me  it  is  by  no  means  an  uncommon  case, 
Kate ;  somebody  over  at  somebody's  place  was  snowed  in 
for  four  weeks,  and  now  it  appears  that  even  the  Summit 
House  is  not  always  accessible.  John  ought  to  have  known 
it  when  he  bought  the  place  ;  in  fact,  I  was  ashamed  to  ad- 
mit that  he  did  not.  But  that  is  like  John  to  prefer  his 
own  theories  to  the  experience  of  others.  However,  I  don't 
suppose  we  should  even  notice  the  privation  except  for  the 
mails.  It  will  be  a  lesson  to  John,  though.  As  Mr.  Lee 
says,  he  is  on  the  outside,  and  can  probably  go  wherever  he 
likes  from  the  Summit  except  to  come  here." 

"Mr.  Lee  ?  "  echoed  Kate. 

"  Yes,  the  wounded  one  ;  and  the  other's  name  is  Ealk- 
ner.  I  asked  them  in  order  that  you  might  be  properly 
introduced.  There  were  very  respectable  Falkners  in 
Charlestown,  you  remember  ;  I  thought  you  might  warm  to 
the  name,  and  perhaps  trace  the  connection,  now  that  you 
are  such  good  friends.  It 's  providential  they  are  here,  as 
we  have  n't  got  a  horse  or  a  man  in  the  place  since  Manuel 
disappeared,  though  Mr.  Falkner  says  he  can't  be  far  away, 
or  they  would  have  met  him  on  the  trail  if  he  had  gone 
towards  the  Summit." 

"  Did  they  say  anything  more  of  Manuel  ?  " 

"  Nothing ;  though  I  am  inclined  to  agree  with  you  that 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  177 

he  is  n't  trustworthy.  But  that  again  is  the  result  of  John's 
idea  of  employing  native  skill  at  the  expense  of  retaining 
native  habits.77 

The  evening  closed  early,  and  with  no  diminution  in  the 
falling  rain  and  rising  wind.  Falkner  kept  his  word,  and 
unostentatiously  performed  the  outdoor  work  in  the  barn 
and  stables,  assisted  by  the  only  Chinese  servant  remaining, 
and  under  the  advice  and  supervision  of  Kate.  Although 
he  seemed  to  understand  horses,  she  was  surprised  to  find 
that  he  betrayed  a  civic  ignorance  of  the  ordinary  details  of 
the  farm  and  rustic  household.  It  was  quite  impossible 
that  she  should  retain  her  distrustful  attitude,  or  he  his  re- 
serve in  their  enforced  companionship.  They  talked  freely 
of  subjects  suggested  by  the  situation,  Falkner  exhibiting  a 
general  knowledge  and  intuition  of  things  without  parade  or 
dogmatism.  Doubtful  of  all  versatility  as  Kate  was,  she 
could  not  help  admitting  to  herself  that  his  truths  were 
none  the  less  true  for  their  quantity  or  that  he  got  at  them 
without  ostentatious  processes.  His  talk  certainly  was  more 
picturesque  than  her  brother's,  and  less  subduing  to  her 
faculties.  John  had  always  crushed  her. 

When  they  returned  to  the  house  he  did  not  linger  in  the 
parlor  or  sitting-room,  but  at  once  rejoined  his  friend. 
When  dinner  was  ready  in  the  dining-room,  a  little  more 
deliberately  arranged  and  ornamented  than  usual,  the  two 
women  were  somewhat  surprised  to  receive  an  excuse  from 
Falkner,  begging  them  to  allow  him  for  the  present  to  take 
his  meals  with  the  patient,  and  thus  save  the  necessity  of 
another  attendant. 

"  It  is  all  shyness,  Kate,"  said  Mrs.  Hale  confidently, 
"  and  must  not  be  permitted  for  a  moment." 

"I'm  sure  I  should  be  quite  willing  to  stay  with  the 
poor  boy  myself,"  said  Mrs.  Scott  simply,  "  and  take  Mr. 
Falkner's  place  while  he  dines." 

"  You  are  too  willing,  mother,"  said  Mrs.  Hale  pertly, 


178  SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S 

"  and  your  '  poor  boy,'  as  you  call  him,  will  never  see 
thirty-five  again." 

"  He  will  never  see  any  other  birthday,"  retorted  her 
mother,  "  unless  you  keep  him  more  quiet.  He  only  talks 
when  you  're  in  the  room." 

"  He  wants  some  relief  to  his  friend's  long  face  and 
mustaches  that  make  him  look  prematurely  in  mourn- 
ing," said  Mrs.  Hale,  with  a  slight  increase  of  animation. 
"  I  don't  propose  to  leave  them  too  much  together.  After 
dinner  we  '11  adjourn  to  their  room  and  lighten  it  up  a 
little.  You  must  come,  Kate,  to  look  at  the  patient,  and 
counteract  the  baleful  effects  of  my  frivolity." 

Mrs.  Hale's  instincts  were  truer  than  her  mother's  ex- 
perience;  not  only  that  the  wounded  man's  eyes  became 
brighter  under  the  provocation  of  her  presence,  but  it  was 
evident  that  his  naturally  exuberant  spirits  were  a  part  of 
his  vital  strength,  and  were  absolutely  essential  to  his 
quick  recovery.  Encouraged  by  Falkner's  grave  and  prac- 
tical assistance,  which  she  could  not  ignore,  Kate  ventured 
to  make  an  examination  of  Lee's  wound.  Even  to  her  un- 
practiced  eye  it  was  less  serious  than  at  first  appeared. 
The  great  loss  of  blood  had  been  due  to  the  laceration  of 
certain  small  vessels  below  the  knee,  but  neither  artery 
nor  bone  was  injured.  A  recurrence  of  the  hemorrhage  or 
fever  was  the  only  thing  to  be  feared,  and  these  could  be 
averted  by  bandaging,  repose,  and  simple  nursing. 

The  unfailing  good  humor  of  the  patient  under  this 
manipulation,  the  quaint  originality  of  his  speech,  the 
freedom  of  his  fancy,  which  was,  however,  always  con- 
trolled by  a  certain  instinctive  tact,  began  to  affect  Kate 
nearly  as  it  had  the  others.  She  found  herself  laughing 
over  the  work  she  had  undertaken  in  a  pure  sense  of  duty ; 
she  joined  in  the  hilarity  produced  by  Lee's  affected  terror 
of  her  surgical  mania,  and  offered  to  undo  the  bandages  in 
search  of  the  thimble  he  declared  she  had  left  in  the  wound 
with  a  view  to  further  experiments. 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  179 

"You  ought  to  broaden  your  practice,"  he  suggested. 
"A  good  deal  might  be  made  out  of  Ned  and  a  piece  of 
soap  left  carelessly  on  the  first  step  of  the  staircase,  while 
mountains  of  surgical  opportunities  lie  in  a  humble  orange 
peel  judiciously  exposed.  Only  I  warn  you  that  you 
would  n't  find  him  as  docile  as  I  am.  Decoyed  into  a 
snowdrift  and  frozen,  you  might  get  some  valuable  experi- 
ences in  resuscitation  by  thawing  him." 

"  I  fancied  you  had  done  that  already,  Kate,"  whispered 
Mrs.  Hale. 

"  Freezing  is  the  new  suggestion  for  painless  surgery," 
said  Lee,  coming  to  Kate's  relief  with  ready  tact,  "  only 
the  knowledge  should  be  more  generally  spread.  There 
was  a  man  up  at  Strawberry  fell  under  a  sledge-load  of 
wood  in  the  snow.  Stunned  by  the  shock,  he  was  slowly 
freezing  to  death,  when,  with  a  tremendous  effort,  he  suc- 
ceeded in  freeing  himself  all  but  his  right  leg,  pinned  down 
by  a  small  log.  His  axe  happened  to  have  fallen  within 
reach,  and  a  few  blows  on  the  log  freed  him." 

"  And  saved  the  poor  fellow's  life,"  said  Mrs.  Scott, 
who  was  listening  with  sympathizing  intensity. 

"  At  the  expense  of  his  left  leg,  which  he  had  unknow- 
ingly cut  off  under  the  pleasing  supposition  that  it  was  a 
log,"  returned  Lee  demurely. 

Nevertheless,  in  a  few  moments  he  managed  to  divert 
the  slightly  shocked  susceptibilities  of  the  old  lady  with 
some  raillery  of  himself,  and  did  not  again  interrupt  the 
even  good-humored  communion  of  the  party.  The  rain 
beating  against  the  windows  and  the  fire  sparkling  on  the 
hearth  seemed  to  lend  a  charm  to  their  peculiar  isolation, 
and  it  was  not  until  Mrs.  Scott  rose  with  a  warning  that 
they  were  trespassing  upon  the  rest  of  their  patient  that 
they  discovered  that  the  evening  had  slipped  by  unnoticed. 
When  the  door  at  last  closed  on  the  bright,  sympathetic 
eyes  of  the  two  young  women  and  the  motherly  benedic- 


180  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

tion  of  the  elder,  Falkner  walked  to  the  window,  and  re- 
mained silent,  looking  into  the  darkness.  Suddenly  he 
turned  bitterly  to  his  companion. 

"  This  is  just  h— 11,  George." 

George  Lee,  with  a  smile  still  on  his  boyish  face,  lazily 
moved  his  head. 

"  I  don't  know !  If  it  was  n't  for  the  old  woman,  who  is 
the  one  solid  chunk  of  absolute  goodness  here,  expecting 
nothing,  wanting  nothing,  it  would  be  good  fun  enough  ! 
These  two  women,  cooped  up  in  this  house,  wanted  excite- 
ment. They  've  got  it !  That  man  Hale  wanted  to  show 
off  by  going  for  us  ;  he  's  had  his  chance,  and  will  have  it 
again  before  I  've  done  with  him.  That  d — d  fool  of  a 
messenger  wanted  to  go  out  of  his  way  to  exchange  shots 
with  me  ;  I  reckon  he  's  the  most  satisfied  of  the  lot !  I 
don't  know  why  you  should  growl.  You  did  your  level 
best  to  get  away  from  here,  and  the  result  is,  that  little 
Puritan  is  ready  to  worship  you.'7 

"  Yes  —  but  this  playing  it  on  them  —  George  — 
this  "  — 

"  Who  's  playing  it  ?  Not  you  ;  I  see  you  've  given 
away  our  names  already." 

"  I  couldn't  lie,  and  they  know  nothing  by  that." 

"  Do  you  think  they  would  be  happier  by  knowing  it  ? 
Do  you  think  that  soft  little  creature  would  be  as  happy  as 
she  was  to-night  if  she  knew  that  her  husband  had  been  in- 
directly the  means  of  laying  me  by  the  heels  here  ?  Where 
is  the  swindle  ?  This  hole  in  my  leg  ?  If  you  had  been 
five  minutes  under  that  girl's  d — d  sympathetic  fingers 
you  'd  have  thought  it  was  genuine.  Is  it  in  our  trying  to 
get  away  ?  Do  you  call  that  ten-feet  drift  in  the  pass  a 
swindle  ?  Is  it  in  the  chance  of  Hale  getting  back  while 
we're  here  ?  That's  real  enough,  isn't  it?  I  say,  Ned, 
did  you  ever  give  your  unfettered  intellect  to  the  contem- 
plation of  that  ?  " 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  181 

Falkner  did  not  reply.  There  was  an  interval  of  silence, 
but  he  could  see  from  the  movement  of  George's  shoulders 
that  he  was  shaking  with  suppressed  laughter. 

"Fancy  Mrs.  Hale  archly  introducing  her  husband  ! 
My  offering  him  a  chair,  but  being  all  the  time  obliged  to 
cover  him  with  a  derringer  under  the  bedclothes.  Your 
rushing  in  from  your  peaceful  pastoral  pursuits  in  the  barn, 
with  a  pitchfork  in  one  hand  and  the  girl  in  the  other,  and 
dear  old  mammy  sympathizing  all  round  and  trying  to  make 
everything  comfortable." 

"  I  should  not  be  alive  to  see  it,  George,"  said  Falkner 
gloomily. 

"  You  'd  manage  to  pitchfork  me  and  those  two  women 
on  Hale's  horse  and  ride  away ;  that 's  what  you  'd  do,  or 
I  don't  know  you  !  Look  here,  Ned,"  he  added  more  seri- 
ously, "  the  only  swindling  was  our  bringing  that  note  here. 
That  was  your  idea.  You  thought  it  would  remove  sus- 
picion, and  as  you  believed  I  was  bleeding  to  death  you 
played  that  game  for  all  it  was  worth  to  save  me.  You 
might  have  done  what  I  asked  you  to  do  —  propped  me  up 
in  the  bushes,  and  got  away  yourself.  I  was  good  for  a 
couple  of  shots  yet,  and  after  that  —  what  mattered  ?  That 
night,  the  next  day,  the  next  time  I  take  the  road,  or  a 
year  hence  ?  It  will  come  when  it  will  come,  all  the 
same  !  " 

He  did  not  speak  bitterly,  nor  relax  his  smile.  Falk- 
ner, without  speaking,  slid  his  hand  along  the  coverlet. 
Lee  grasped  it,  and  their  hands  remained  clasped  together 
for  a  few  moments  in  silence. 

"  How  is  this  to  end  ?  We  cannot  go  on  here  in  this 
way,"  said  Falkner  suddenly. 

"  If  we  cannot  get  away  it  must  go  on.  Look  here, 
Ned.  I  don't  reckon  to  take  anything  out  of  this  house 
that  I  did  n't  bring  in  it,  or  is  n't  freely  offered  to  me  ;  yet 
I  don't  otherwise,  you  understand,  intend  making  myself 


182  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

out  a  d — d  bit  better  than  I  am.  That  's  the  only  excuse 
I  have  for  not  making  myself  out  just  what  I  am.  I  don't 
know  the  fellow  who  's  obliged  to  tell  every  one  the  last 
company  he  was  in,  or  the  last  thing  he  did!  Do  you 
suppose  even  these  pretty  little  women  tell  us  their  whole 
story  ?  Do  you  fancy  that  this  St.  John  in  the  wilderness 
is  canonized  in  his  family  ?  Perhaps,  when  I  take  the 
liberty  to  intrude  in  his  affairs,  as  he  has  in  mine,  he  ?d  see 
he  isn't.  I  don't  blame  you  for  being  sensitive,  Ned. 
It 's  natural.  When  a  man  lives  outside  the  revised  stat- 
utes of  his  own  State  he  is  apt  to  be  awfully  fine  on  points 
of  etiquette  in  his  own  household.  As  for  me,  I  find  it 
rather  comfortable  here.  The  beds  of  other  people's  mak- 
ing strike  me  as  being  more  satisfactory  than  my  own. 
Good-night." 

In  a  few  moments  he  was  sleeping  the  peaceful  sleep  of 
that  youth  which  seemed  to  be  his  own  dominant  quality. 
Falkner  stood  for  a  little  space  and  watched  him,  following 
the  boyish  lines  of  his  cheek  on  the  pillow,  from  the  shadow 
of  the  light  brown  lashes  under  his  closed  lids  to  the  lifting 
of  his  short  upper  lip  over  his  white  teeth,  with  his  regular 
respiration.  Only  a  sharp  accenting  of  the  line  of  nostril 
and  jaw  and  a  faint  depression  of  the  temple  betrayed  his 
already  tried  manhood. 

The  house  had  long  sunk  to  repose  when  Falkner  returned 
to  the  window,  and  remained  looking  out  upon  the  storm. 
Suddenly  he  extinguished  the  light,  and  passing  quickly  to 
the  bed  laid  his  hand  upon  the  sleeper.  Lee  opened  his 
eyes  instantly. 

"  Are  you  awake  ?  " 

"  Perfectly." 

"  Somebody  is  trying  to  get  into  the  house  ! " 

"  Not  him,  eh  ?  "  said  Lee  gayly. 

"No;  two  men.  Mexicans,  I  think.  One  looks  like 
Manuel." 


SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S  183 

"  Ah,"  said  Lee,  drawing  himself  up  to  a  sitting  posture. 

"  Well  ?  " 

"  Don't  you  see  ?     He  believes  the  women  are  alone." 

"  The  dog  —  d— d  hound !  " 

"  Speak  respectfully  of  one  of  my  people,  if  you  please, 
and  hand  me  my  derringer.  Light  the  candle  again,  and 
open  the  door.  Let  them  get  in  quietly.  They  '11  come 
here  first.  It 's  his  room,  you  understand,  and  if  there 's 
any  money  it 's  here.  Anyway,  they  must  pass  here  to  get 
to  the  women's  rooms.  Leave  Manuel  to  me,  and  you  take 
care  of  the  other." 

"I  see." 

"  Manuel  knows  the  house,  and  will  come  first.  When 
he 's  fairly  in  the  room  shut  the  door  and  go  for  the  other. 
But  no  noise.  This  is  just  one  of  the  sw-eetest  things  out 
—  if  it  's  done  properly." 

"  But  you,  George  ?  " 

"  If  I  could  n't  manage  that  fellow  without  turning  down 
the  bedclothes  I  'd  kick  myself.  Hush.  Steady  now." 

He  lay  down  and  shut  his  eyes  as  if  in  natural  repose. 
Only  his  right  hand,  carelessly  placed  under  his  pillow, 
closed  on  the  handle  of  his  pistol.  Falkner  quietly  slipped 
into  the  passage.  The  light  of  the  candle  faintly  illuminated 
the  floor  and  opposite  wall,  but  left  it  on  either  side  in 
pitchy  obscurity. 

For  some  moments  the  silence  was  broken  only  by  the 
sound  of  the  rain  without.  The  recumbent  figure  in  bed 
seemed  to  have  actually  succumbed  to  sleep.  The  multi- 
tudinous small  noises  of  a  house  in  repose  might  have  been 
misinterpreted  by  ears  less  keen  than  the  sleeper's;  but 
when  the  apparent  creaking  of  a  far-off  shutter  was  followed 
by  the  sliding  apparition  of  a  dark  head  of  tangled  hair  at 
the  door,  Lee  had  no$  been  deceived,  and  was  as  prepared 
as  if  he  had  seen  it.  Another  step,  and  the  figure  entered 
the  room.  The  door  closed  instantly  behind  it.  The  sound 


184  SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S 

of  a  heavy  body  struggling  against  the  partition  outside 
followed,  and  then  suddenly  ceased. 

The  intruder  turned,  and  violently  grasped  the  handle  of 
the  door,  but  recoiled  at  a  quiet  voice  from  the  bed. 

"  Drop  that,  and  come  here." 

He  started  back  with  an  exclamation.  The  sleeper's 
eyes  were  wide  open ;  the  sleeper's  extended  arm  and  pis- 
tol covered  him. 

"  Silence  !•  or  I  '11  let  that  candle  shine  through  you." 

"  Yes,  captain  !  "  growled  the  astounded  and  frightened 
half-breed.  "I  didn't  know  you  were  here." 

Lee  raised  himself,  and  grasped  the  long  whip  in  his 
left  hand  and  whirled  it  round  his  head. 

"  Will  you  dry  up  ?  " 

The  man  sank  back  against  the  wall  in  silent  terror. 

"  Open  that  door  now  —  softly." 

Manuel  obeyed  with  trembling  fingers. 

"  Ned,"  said  Lee  in  a  low  voice,  "  bring  him  in  here  — 
quick." 

There  was  a  slight  rustle,  and  Falkner  appeared,  back- 
ing in  another  gasping  figure,  whose  eyes  were  starting 
under  the  strong  grasp  of  the  captor  at  his  throat. 

"  Silence,"  said  Lee,  "  all  of  you." 

There  was  a  breathless  pause.  The  sound  of  a  door 
hesitatingly  opened  in  the  passage  broke  the  stillness,  fol- 
lowed by  the  gentle  voice  of  Mrs.  Scott. 

"  Is  anything  the  matter  ?  " 

Lee  made  a  slight  gesture  of  warning  to  Falkner,  of 
menace  to  the  others.  "  Everything 's  the  matter,"  he 
called  out  cheerily.  "  Ned 's  managed  to  half  pull  down 
the  house  trying  to  get  at  something  from  my  saddle-bags." 

"  I  hope  he  has  not  hurt  himself,"  broke  in  another  voice 
mischievously. 

"  Answer,  you  clumsy  villain,"  whispered  Lee,  with 
twinkling  eyes. 


SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S  185 

"  I  'm  all  right,  thank  you/7  -responded  Falkner,  with 
unaffected  awkwardness. 

There  was  a  slight  murmuring  of  voices,  and  then  the 
door  was  heard  to  close.  Lee  turned  to  Falkner. 

"Disarm  that  hound  and  turn  him  loose  outside,  and 
make  no  noise.  And  you,  Manuel !  tell  him  what  his  and 
your  chances  are  if  he  shows  his  black  face  here  again. " 

Manuel  cast  a  single,  terrified,  supplicating  glance,  more 
suggestive  than  words,  at  his  confederate,  as  Falkner  shoved 
him  before  him  from  the  room.  The  next  moment  they 
were  silently  descending  the  stairs. 

"  May  I  go  too,  captain  ?  "  entreated  Manuel.  "  I  swear 
to  God  "  - 

"  Shut  the  door !  "     The  man  obeyed. 

"  Now,  then,"  said  Lee,  with  a  broad,  gratified  smile, 
laying  down  his  whip  and  pistol  within  reach,  and  com- 
fortably settling  the  pillows  behind  his  back,  "  we  '11  have 
a  quiet  confab.  A  sort  of  old-fashioned  talk,  eh  ?  You  're 
not  looking  well,  Manuel.  You  're  drinking  too  much 
again.  It  spoils  your  complexion." 

"  Let  me  go,  captain,"  pleaded  the  man,  emboldened  by 
the  good-humored  voice,  but  not  near  enough  to  notice  a 
peculiar  light  in  the  speaker's  eye. 

"You've  only  just  come,  Manuel;  and  at  considerable 
trouble,  too.  Well,  what  have  you  got  to  say  ?  What 's 
till  this  about  ?  What  are  you  doing  here  ?  " 

The  captured  man  shuffled  his  feet  nervously,  and  only 
uttered  an  uneasy  laugh  of  coarse  discomfiture. 

"  I  see.  You  're  bashful.  Well,  I  '11  help  you  along. 
Come  !  You  knew  that  Hale  was  away  and  these  women 
were  here  without  a  man  to  help  them.  You  thought 
you  'd  find  some  money  here,  and  have  your  own  way 
generally,  eh  ?  " 

The  tone  of  Lee's  voice  inspired  him  to  confidence ;  un- 
fortunately, it  inspired  him  with  familiarity  also. 


186  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 

"  I  reckoned  I  had  the  right  to  a  little  fun  on  my  own 
account,  cap.  I  reckoned  ez  one  gentleman  in  the  profes- 
sion would  n't  interfere  with  another  gentleman's  little 
game,"  he  continued  coarsely. 

"  Stand  up." 

"  Wot  for  ?  " 

«  Up,  I  say  !  » 

Manuel  stood  up  and  glanced  at  him. 

"  Utter  a  cry  that  might  frighten  these  women,  and  by 
the  living  God  they  '11  rush  in  here  only  to  find  you  lying 
dead  on  the  floor  of  the  house  you  'd  have  polluted." 

He  grasped  the  whip  and  laid  the  lash  of  it  heavily  twice 
over  the  ruffian's  shoulders.  Writhing  in  suppressed  agony, 
the  man  fell  imploringly  on  his  knees. 

"  Now,  listen  !  "  said  Lee,  softly  twirling  the  whip  in 
the  air.  "I  want  to  refresh  your  memory.  Did  you  ever 
learn,  when  you  were  with  me  —  before  I  was  obliged  to 
kick  you  out  of  gentlemen's  company  —  to  break  into  a 
private  house  ?  Answer  !  " 

"  No,"  stammered  the  wretch. 

"  Did  you  ever  learn  to  rob  a  woman,  a  child,  or  any  but 
a  man,  and  that  face  to  face  ?  " 

"  No,"  repeated  Manuel. 

"  Did  you  ever  learn  from  me  to  lay  a  finger  upon  a 
woman,  old  or  young,  in  anger  or  kindness  ?  " 

"No." 

"  Then,  my  poor  Manuel,  it 's  as  I  feared  ;  civilization 
has  ruined  you.  Farming  and  a  simple,  bucolic  life  have 
perverted  your  morals.  So  you  were  running  off  with  the 
stock  and  that  mustang,  when  you  got  stuck  in  the  snow  ; 
and  the  luminous  idea  of  this  little  game  struck  you  ?  Eh  ? 
That  was  another  mistake,  Manuel  j  I  never  allowed  you  to 
think  when  you  were  with  me." 

"  No,  captain." 

"Who's  your  friend?". 


SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S  187 

"  A  d — d  cowardly  nigger  from  the  Summit." 

"  I  agree  with  you  for  once  ;  but  he  has  n't  had  a  very 
brilliant  example.  Where  's  he  gone  now  ?  " 

"  To  h— 11,  for  all  I  care  !  " 

"  Then  I  want  you  to  go  with  him.  Listen.  If  there  's 
a  way  out  of  the  place,  you  know  it  or  can  find  it.  I  give 
you  two  days  to  do  it  —  you  and  he.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  the  order  will  be  to  shoot  you  on  sight.  Now  take  off 
your  boots." 

The  man's  dark  face  visibly  whitened,  his  teeth  chattered 
in  superstitious  terror. 

"  I  'm  not  going  to  shoot  you  now,"  said  Lee,  smiling, 
"  so  you  will  have  a  chance  to  die  with  your  boots  on,1  if 
you  are  superstitious.  I  only  want  you  to  exchange  them 
for  that  pair  of  Hale's  in  the  corner.  The  fact  is  I  have 
taken  a  fancy  to  yours.  That  fashion  of  wearing  the  stock- 
ings outside  strikes  me  as  one  of  the  neatest  things  out." 

Manuel  sullenly  drew  off  his  boots  with  their  muffled 
covering,  and  put  on  the  ones  designated. 

"  Now  open  the  door." 

He  did  so.  Falkner  was  already  waiting  at  the  thresh- 
old. "  Turn  Manuel  loose  with  the  other,  Ned,  but  dis- 
arm him  first.  They  might  quarrel.  The  habit  of  carry- 
ing arms,  Manuel,"  added  Lee,  as  Falkner  took  a  pistol 
and  bowie-knife  from  the  half-breed,  "  is  of  itself  provo- 
cative of  violence,  and  inconsistent  with  a  bucolic  and 
pastoral  life." 

When  Falkner  returned  he  said  hurriedly  to  his  compan- 
ion, "  Do  you  think  it  wise,  George,  to  let  those  hell-hounds 
loose  ?  Good  God  !  I  could  scarcely  let  my  grip  of  his 
throat  go,  when  I  thought  of  what  they  were  hunting." 

((  My  dear  Ned,"  said  Lee,  luxuriously  ensconcing  him- 

i"To  die  with  one's  boots  on."  A  synonym  for  death  by  violence, 
popular  among  Southwestern  desperadoes,  and  the  subject  of  superstitious 
dread. 


188  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 

self  under  the  bedclothes  again  with  a  slight  shiver  of  deli- 
cious warmth,  "  I  must  warn  you  against  allowing  the  nat- 
ural pride  of  a  higher  walk  to  prejudice  you  against  the 
general  level  of  our  profession.  Indeed,  I  was  quite  struck 
with  the  justice  of  Manuel's  protest  that  I  was  interfering 
with  certain  rude  processes  of  his  own  towards  results  aimed 
at  by  others." 

"  George  !  "  interrupted  Falkner,  almost  savagely. 

"  Well.  I  admit  it 's  getting  rather  late  in  the  evening 
for  pure  philosophical  inquiry,  and  you  are  tired.  Practi- 
cally, then,  it  was  wise  to  let  them  get  away  before  they 
discovered  two  things.  One,  our  exact  relations  here  with 
these  women ;  and  the  other,  how  many  of  us  were  here. 
At  present  they  think  we  are  three  or  four  in  possession 
and  with  the  consent  of  the  women." 

"The  dogs!" 

"  They  are  paying  us  the  highest  compliment  they  can  con- 
ceive of  by  supposing  us  cleverer  scoundrels  than  themselves. 
You  are  very  unjust,  Ned." 

"  If  they  escape  and  tell  their  story  ?  " 

"  We  shall  have  the  rare  pleasure  of  knowing  we  are  bet- 
ter than  people  believe  us.  And  now  put  those  boots  away 
somewhere  where  we  can  produce  them  if  necessary,  as  evi- 
dence of  Manuel's  evening  call.  At  present  we  '11  keep  the 
thing  quiet,  and  in  the  early  morning  you  can  find  out  where 
they  got  in  and  remove  any  traces  they  have  left.  It  is 
no  use  to  frighten  the  women.  There  's  no  fear  of  their 
returning." 

"  And  if  they  get  away  ?  " 

"  We  can  follow  in  their  tracks." 

"  If  Manuel  gives  the  alarm  ?  " 

"  With  his  burglarious  boots  left  behind  in  the  house  ? 
Not  much  !  Good-night,  Ned.  Go  to  bed." 

With  these  words  Lee  turned  on  his  side  and  quietly  re- 
sumed his  interrupted  slumber.  Falkner  did  not,  however, 


SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S  189 

follow  this  sensible  advice.  When  he  was  satisfied  that 
his  friend  was  sleeping  he  opened  the  door  softly  and  looked 
out.  He  did  not  appear  to  be  listening,  for  his  eyes  were 
fixed  upon  a  small  pencil  of  light  that  stole  across  the  passage 
from  the  foot  of  Kate's  door.  He  watched  it  until  it  sud- 
denly disappeared,  when,  leaving  the  door  partly  open,  he 
threw  himself  on  his  couch  without  removing  his  clothes. 
The  slight  movement  awakened  the  sleeper,  who  was  begin- 
ning to  feel  the  accession  of  fever.  He  moved  restlessly. 

"  George,"  said  Falkner  softly. 

"Yes." 

"  Where  was  it  we  passed  that  old  Mission  Church  on 
the  road  one  dark  night,  and  saw  the  light  burning  before 
the  figure  of  the  Virgin  through  the  window  ?  " 

There  was  a  moment  of  crushing  silence.  "  Does  that 
mean  you  're  wanting  to  light  the  candle  again  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Then  don't  lie  there  inventing  sacrilegious  conundrums, 
but  go  to  sleep." 

Nevertheless,  in  the  morning  his  fever  was  slightly  worse. 
Mrs.  Hale,  offering  her  condolence,  said,  "  I  know  that  you 
have  not  been  resting  well,  for  even  after  your  friend  met 
with  that  mishap  in  the  hall,  I  heard  your  voices,  and  Kate 
says  your  door  was  open  all  night.  You  have  a  little  fever 
too,  Mr.  Falkner." 

George  looked  curiously  at  Falkner's  pale  face  —  it  was 
burning. 


CHAPTEE  V 

THE  speed  and  fury  with  which  Clinch's  cavalcade  swept 
on  in  the  direction  of  the  mysterious  shot  left  Hale  no  chance 
for  reflection.  He  was  conscious  of  shouting  incoherently 
with  the  others,  of  urging  his  horse  irresistibly  forward,  of 
momentarily  expecting  to  meet  or  overtake  something,  but 
without  any  further  thought.  The  figures  of  Clinch  and 
Eawlins  immediately  before  him  shut  out  the  prospect  of 
the  narrowing  trail.  Once  only,  taking  advantage  of  a  sud. 
den  halt  that  threw  them  confusedly  together,  he  managed 
to  ask  a  question. 

"  Lost  their  track  —  found  it  again  !  "  shouted  the  hostler, 
as  Clinch,  with  a  cry  like  the  baying  of  a  hound,  again 
darted  forward.  Their  horses  were  panting  and  trembling 
under  them,  the  ascent  seemed  to  be  growing  steeper,  a  sin- 
gular darkness,  which  even  the  density  of  the  wood  did  not 
sufficiently  account  for,  surrounded  them,  but  still  their 
leader  madly  urged  them  on.  To  Hale's  returning  senses 
they  did  not  seem  in  a  condition  to  engage  a  single  resolute 
man,  who  might  have  ambushed  in  the  woods  or  beaten  them 
in  detail  in  the  narrow  gorge,  but  in  another  instant  the 
reason  of  their  furious  haste  was  manifest.  Spurring  his 
horse  ahead,  Clinch  dashed  out  into  the  open  with  a  cheer- 
ing shout  —  a  shout  that  as  quickly  changed  to  a  yell  of 
imprecation.  They  were  on  the  Eidge  in  a  blinding  snow- 
storm !  The  road  had  already  vanished  under  their  feet, 
and  with  it  the  fresh  trail  they  had  so  closely  followed ! 
They  stood  helplessly  on  the  shore  of  a  trackless  white  sea, 
blank  and  spotless  of  any  trace  or  sign  of  the  fugitives. 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  191 

"  'Pears  to  me,  boys,"  said  the  hostler,  suddenly  ranging 
before  them,  "  ef  you  're  not  kalkilatin'  on  gittin'  another 
party  to  dig  ye  out,  ye  ?d  better  be  huntin'  fodder  and  cover 
instead  of  road  agents.  'Skuse  me,  gentlemen,  but  I  'm 
responsible  for  the  bosses,  and  this  ain't  no  time  for  circus- 
ridin'.  We  're  a  matter  o'  six  miles  from  the  station  in  a 
bee-line." 

"Back  to  the  trail,  then,"  said  Clinch,  wheeling  his 
horse  towards  the  road  they  had  just  quitted. 

"  'Skuse  me,  Kernel,"  said  the  hostler,  laying  his  hand  on 
Clinch's  rein,  "  but  that  way  only  brings  us  back  the  road 
we  kem  —  the  stage  road  —  three  miles  further  from  home. 
That  three  miles  is  on  the  divide,  and  by  the  time  we  get 
there  it  will  be  snowed  up  worse  nor  this.  The  shortest 
cut  is  along  the  Bidge.  If  we  hump  ourselves  we  ken 
cross  the  divide  afore  the  road  is  blocked.  And  that, 
'skuse  me,  gentlemen,  is  my  road." 

There  was  no  time  for  discussion.  The  road  was  already 
palpably  thickening  under  their  feet.  Hale's  arm  was 
stiffened  to  his  side  by  a  wet,  clinging  snow-wreath.  The 
figures  of  the  others  were  almost  obliterated  and  shapeless. 
It  was  not  snowing  —  it  was  snow-balling !  The  huge 
flakes,  shaken  like  enormous  feathers  out  of  a  vast  blue- 
black  cloud,  commingled  and  fell  in  sprays  and  patches. 

All  idea  of  their  former  pursuit  T^as  forgotten ;  the  blind 
rage  and  enthusiasm  that  had  possessed  them  was  gone. 
They  dashed  after  their  new  leader  with  only  an  instinct 
for  shelter  and  succor. 

They  had  not  ridden  long  when  fortunately,  as  it  seemed 
to  Hale,  the  character  of  the  storm  changed.  The  snow  no 
longer  fell  in  such  large  flakes,  nor  as  heavily.  A  bitter 
wind  succeeded  ;  the  soft  snow  began  to  stiffen  and  crackle 
under  the  horses'  hoofs ;  they  were  no  longer  weighted  and 
encumbered  by  the  drifts  upon  their  bodies ;  the  smaller 
flakes  now  rustled  and  rasped  against  them  like  sand,  or 


192  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

bounded  from  them  like  hail.  They  seemed  to  be  moving 
more  easily  and  rapidly,  their  spirits  were  rising  with  the 
stimulus  of  cold  and  motion,  when  suddenly  their  leader 
halted. 

"  It 's  no  use,  boys.  It  can't  be  done !  This  is  no 
blizzard,  but  a  regular  two  days'  snifter  !  It 's  no  longer 
meltin',  but  packin'  and  driftin'  now.  Even  if  we  get  over 
the  divide,  we  're  sure  to  be  blocked  up  in  the  pass." 

It  was  true  !  To  their  bitter  disappointment  they  could 
now  see  that  the  snow  had  not  really  diminished  in  quan- 
tity, but  that  the  now  finely  powdered  particles  were 
rapidly  filling  all  inequalities  of  the  surface,  packing  closely 
against  projections,  and  swirling  in  long  furrows  across  the 
levels.  They  looked  with  anxiety  at  their  self-constituted 
leader. 

"  We  must  make  a  break  to  get  down  in  the  woods  again 
before  it 's  too  late,"  he  said  briefly. 

But  they  had  already  drifted  away  from  the  fringe  of 
larches  and  dwarf  pines  that  marked  the  sides  of  the  Bidge, 
and  lower  down  merged  into  the  dense  forest  that  clothed 
the  flank  of  the  mountain  they  had  lately  climbed,  and  it 
was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  they  again  reached  it, 
only  to  find  that  at  that  point  it  was  too  precipitous  for  the 
descent  of  their  horses.  Benumbed  and  speechless,  they 
continued  to  toil  on,  opposed  to  the  full  fury  of  the  sting- 
ing snow,  and  at  times  obliged  to  turn  their  horses  to  the 
blast  to  keep  from  being  blown  over  the  Bidge.  At  the 
end  of  half  an  hour  the  hostler  dismounted,  and,  beckoning 
to  the  others,  took  his  horse  by  the  bridle,  and  began  the 
descent.  When  it  came  to  Hale's  turn  to  dismount  he 
could  not  help  at  first  recoiling  from  the  prospect  before 
him.  The  trail  —  if  it  could  be  so  called  —  was  merely 
the  track  or  furrow  of  some  fallen  tree  dragged,  by  accident 
or  design,  diagonally  across  the  sides  of  the  mountain.  At 
times  it  appeared  scarcely  a  foot  in  width  ;  at  other  times 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  193 

a  mere  crumbling  gully,  or  a  narrow  shelf  made  by  the  pro- 
jections of  dead  boughs  and  collected  ddbris.  It  seemed 
perilous  for  a  foot  passenger,  it  appeared  impossible  for  a 
horse.  Nevertheless,  he  had  taken  a  step  forward  when 
Clinch  laid  his  hand  on  his  arm. 

"  You  '11  bring  up  the  rear,"  he  said  not  unkindly,  "  ez 
you  're  a  stranger  here.  Wait  until  we  sing  out  to  you." 

"  But  if  I  prefer  to  take  the  same  risks  as  you  all  ?  " 
said  Hale  stiffly. 

"  You  kin,"  said  Clinch  grimly.  "  But  I  reckoned,  as 
you  were  n't  familiar  with  this  sort  o'  thing,  you  would  n't 
keer,  by  any  foolishness  o'  yours,  to  stampede  the  rocks 
ahead  of  us,  and  break  down  the  trail,  or  send  down  an 
avalanche  on  top  of  us.  But  just  ez  you  like." 

"  I  will  wait,  then,"  said  Hale  hastily. 

The  rebuke,  however,  did  him  good  service.  It  preoc- 
cupied his  mind,  so  that  it  remained  unaffected  by  the 
dizzy  depths,  and  enabled  him  to  abandon  himself  mechan- 
ically to  the  sagacity  of  his  horse,  who  was  contented 
simply  to  follow  the  hoof-prints  of  the  preceding  animal, 
and  in  a  few  moments  they  reached  the  broader  trail  below 
without  a  mishap.  A  discussion  regarding  their  future 
movements  was  already  taking  place.  The  impossibility  of 
regaining  the  station  at  the  Summit  was  admitted ;  the 
way  down  the  mountain  to  the  next  settlement  was  still 
left  to  them,  or  the  adjacent  woods,  if  they  wished  for  an 
encampment.  The  hostler  once  more  assumed  authority. 

"  'Skuse  me,  gentlemen,  but  them  horses  don't  take  no 
pasear  down  the  mountain  to-night.  The  stage  road  ain't 
a  mile  off,  and  I  kalkilate  to  wait  here  till  the  up  stage 
comes.  She 's  bound  to  stop  on  account  of  the  snow  ; 
and  I  've  done  my  dooty  when  I  hand  the  horses  over  to 
the  driver." 

"  But  if  she  hears  of  the  block  up  yer,  and  waits  at  the 
lower  station  ?  "  said  Rawlins, 


194  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 

"  Then  I  >ve  done  my  dooty  all  the  same.  'Skuse  me, 
gentlemen,  but  them  ez  hez  their  own  horses  kin  do  ez 
they  like.'' 

As  this  clearly  pointed  to  Hale,  he  briefly  assured  his  com- 
panions that  he  had  no  intention  of  deserting  them.  "  If  I 
cannot  reach  Eagle's  Court,  I  shall  at  least  keep  as  near  it 
as  possible.  I  suppose  any  messenger  from  my  house  to 
the  Summit  will  learn  where  I  am  and  why  I  am  delayed  ?  " 

"  Messenger  from  your  house  !  "  gasped  Rawlins.  "  Are 
you  crazy,  stranger  ?  Only  a  bird  would  get  outer  Eagle's 
now ;  and  it  would  hev  to  be  an  eagle  at  that !  Between 
your  house  and  the  Summit  the  snow  must  be  ten  feet  by 
this  time,  to  say  nothing  of  the  drift  in  the  pass." 

Hale  felt  it  was  the  truth.  At  any  other  time  he  would 
have  worried  over  this  unexpected  situation,  and  utter  vio- 
lation of  all  his  traditions.  He  was  past  that  now,  and 
even  felt  a  certain  relief.  He  knew  his  family  were  safe ; 
it  was  enough.  That  they  were  locked  up  securely,  and 
incapable  of  interfering  with  him,  seemed  to  enhance  his 
new,  half-conscious,  half-shy  enjoyment  of  an  adventurous 
existence. 

The  hostler,  who  had  been  apparently  lost  in  contempla- 
tion of  the  steep  trail  he  had  just  descended,  suddenly 
clapped  his  hand  to  his  leg  with  an  ejaculation  of  gratified 
astonishment. 

"  Waal,  darn  my  skin  ef  that  ain't  Hennicker's  l  slide ' 
all  the  time !  I  heard  it  was  somewhat  about  here." 

Rawlins  briefly  explained  to  Hale  that  a  slide  was  a  rude 
incline  for  the  transit  of  heavy  goods  that  could  not  be 
carried  down  a  trail. 

"  And  Hennicker's,"  continued  the  man,  "  ain't  more  nor 
a  mile  away.  Ye  might  try  Hennicker's  at  a  push,  eh  ?  " 

By  a  common  instinct  the  whole  party  looked  dubiously 
at  Hale.  "  Who 's  Hennicker  ?  "  he  felt  compelled  to  ask. 

The  hostler  hesitated,  and  glanced  at  the  others  to  reply. 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  195 

"  There  are  folks/'  he  said  lazily,  at  last,  "  ez  beleeves  that 
Hennicker  ain't  much  better  nor  the  crowd  we  're  hunting ; 
but  they  don't  say  it  to  Hennicker.  We  need  n't  let  on 
what  we're  after." 

"  I  for  one,"  said  Hale  stoutly,  "  decidedly  object  to  any 
concealment  of  our  purpose." 

"It  don't  follow,"  said  Rawlins  carelessly,  "that  Hen- 
nicker  even  knows  of  this  yer  robbery.  It 's  his  gineral  gait 
we  refer  to.  Ef  yer  think  it  more  polite,  and  it  makes  it 
more  sociable  to  discuss  this  matter  afore  him,  I  'm  agreed." 

"  Hale  means,"  said  Clinch,  "  that  it  would  n't  be  on  the 
square  to  take  and  make  use  of  any  points  we  might  pick 
up  there  agin  the  road  agents." 

"  Certainly,"  said  Hale.  It  was  not  at  all  what  he  had 
meant,  but  he  felt  singularly  relieved  at  the  compromise. 

"  And  ez  I  reckon  Hennicker  ain't  such  a  fool  ez  not  to 
know  who  we  are  and  what  we  're  out  for,"  continued 
Clinch,  "  I  reckon  there  ain't  any  concealment." 

"  Then  it 's  Hennicker' s  ?  "  said  the  hostler,  with  swift 
deduction. 

"Hennicker  it  is  !     Lead  on." 

The  hostler  remounted  his  horse,  and  the  others  followed. 
The  trail  presently  turned  into  a  broader  track,  that  bore 
some  signs  of  approaching  habitations,  and  at  the  end  of  five 
minutes  they  came  upon  a  clearing.  It  was  part  of  one  of 
the  fragmentary  mountain  terraces,  and  formed  by  itself  a 
vast  niche,  or  bracketed  shelf,  in  the  hollow  flank  of  the 
mountain  that,  to  Hale's  first  glance,  bore  a  rude  resemblance 
to  Eagle's  Court.  But  there  was  neither  meadow  nor  open 
field  •,  the  few  acres  of  ground  had  been  wrested  from  the 
forest  by  axe  and  fire,  and  unsightly  stumps  everywhere 
marked  the  rude  and  difficult  attempts  at  cultivation.  Two 
or  three  rough  buildings  of  unplaned  and  unpainted  boards, 
connected  by  rambling  sheds,  stood  in  the  centre  of  the 
amphitheatre.  Far  from  being  protected  by  the  encircling 


196  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

rampart,  it  seemed  to  be  the  selected  arena  for  the  combating 
elements.  A  whirlwind  from  the  outer  abyss  continually 
filled  this  cave  of  ^Eolus  with  driving  snow,  which,  however, 
melted  as  it  fell,  or  was  quickly  whirled  away  again. 

A  few  dogs  barked  and  ran  out  to  meet  the  cavalcade,  but 
there  was  no  other  sign  of  any  life  disturbed  or  concerned 
at  their  approach. 

"  I  reckon  Hennicker  ain't  home,  or  he  'd  hev  been  on 
the  lookout  afore  this,"  said  the  hostler,  dismounting  and 
rapping  at  the  door. 

After  a  silence,  a  female  voice,  unintelligible  to  the  others, 
apparently  had  some  colloquy  with  the  hostler,  who  returned 
to  the  party. 

"  Must  go  in  through  the  kitchin  —  can't  open  the  door 
for  the  wind." 

Leaving  their  horses  in  the  shed,  they  entered  the  kitchen, 
which  communicated,  and  presently  came  upon  a  square  room 
filled  with  smoke  from  a  fire  of  green  pine  logs.  The  doors 
and  windows  were  tightly  fastened ;  the  only  air  came  in 
through  the  large-throated  chimney  in  voluminous  gusts, 
which  seemed  to  make  the  hollow  shell  of  the  apartment 
swell  and  expand  to  the  point  of  bursting.  Despite  the 
stinging  of  the  resinous  smoke,  the  temperature  was  grateful 
to  the  benumbed  travelers.  Several  cushionless  armchairs, 
such  as  were  used  in  bar-rooms,  two  tables,  a  sideboard,  half 
bar  and  half  cupboard,  and  a  rocking-chair  comprised  the 
furniture,  and  a  few  bear  and  buffalo  skins  covered  the  floor. 
Hale  sank  into  one  of  the  armchairs,  and,  with  a  lazy  satis- 
faction, partly  born  of  his  fatigue  and  partly  from  some 
newly  discovered  appreciative  faculty,  gazed  around  the 
room,  and  then  at  the  mistress  of  the  house,  with  whom  the 
others  were  talking. 

She  was  tall,  gaunt,  and  withered  ;  in  spite  of  her  evi- 
dent years,  her  twisted  hair  was  still  dark  and  full,  and  her 
eyes  bright  and  piercing ;  her  complexion  and  teeth  had 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S  197 

long  since  succumbed  to  the  vitiating  effects  of  frontier 
cookery,  and  her  lips  were  stained  with  the  yellow  juice  of 
a  brier-wood  pipe  she  held  in  her  mouth.  The  hostler  had 
explained  their  intrusion,  and  veiled  their  character  under 
the  vague  epithet  of  a  "  hunting  party,"  and  was  now 
evidently  describing  them  personally.  In  his  new-found 
philosophy  the  fact  that  the  interest  of  his  hostess  seemed 
to  be  excited  only  by  the  names  of  his  companions,  that  he 
himself  was  carelessly,  and  even  deprecatingly,  alluded  to  as 
the  "  stranger  from  Eagle's  "  by  the  hostler,  and  completely 
overlooked  by  the  old  woman,  gave  him  no  concern. 

"  You  '11  have  to  talk  to  Zenobia  yourself.  Dod  rot  ef 
I  'm  gine  to  interfere.  She  knows  Hennicker's  ways,  and 
if  she  chooses  to  take  in  transients  it  ain't  no  funeral  o' 
mine.  Zeenie  !  You,  Zeenie  !  Look  yer !  " 

A  tall,  lazy-looking,  handsome  girl  appeared  on  the  thresh- 
old of  the  next  room,  and  with  a  hand  on  each  door-post 
slowly  swung  herself  backwards  and  forwards,  without  en- 
tering. "  Well,  maw  ?  " 

The  old  woman  briefly  and  unalluringly  pictured  the  con- 
dition of  the  travelers. 

"  Paw  ain't  here,"  began  the  girl  doubtfully,  "  and  — 
Howdy,  Dick !  is  that  you  ? "  The  interruption  was 
caused  by  her  recognition  of  the  hostler,  and  she  lounged 
into  the  room.  In  spite  of  a  skimp,  slatternly  gown,  whose 
straight  skirt  clung  to  her  lower  limbs,  there  was  a  quaint, 
nymph-like  contour  to  her  figure.  Whether  from  languor, 
ill  health,  or  more  probably  from  a  morbid  consciousness  of 
her  own  height,  she  moved  with  a  slightly  affected  stoop 
that  had  become  a  habit.  It  did  not  seem  ungraceful  to 
Hale,  already  attracted  by  her  delicate  profile,  her  large 
dark  eyes,  and  a  certain  weird  resemblance  she  had  to  some 
half-domesticated  dryad. 

"  That  '11  do,  maw,"  she  said,  dismissing  her  parent  with 
a  nod.  "  I  '11  talk  to  Dick." 


198  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 

As  the  door  closed  on  the  old  woman,  Zenobia  leaned 
her  hands  on  the  back  of  a  chair,  and  confronted  the  admir- 
ing eyes  of  Dick  with  a  goddess-like  indifference. 

"  Now  wot 's  the  use  of  your  playin'  this  yer  game  on 
me,  Dick  ?  Wot 's  the  good  of  your  ladlin'  out  that  hog- 
wash  about  huntin'  ?  Hunt  in1  !  I  '11  tell  yer  the  huntin' 
you-uns  hev  been  at !  You  've  been  huntin'  George  Lee 
and  his  boys  since  an  hour  before  sun-up.  You  've  been 
followin'  a  blind  trail  up  to  the  Ridge,  until  the  snow  got 
up  and  hunted  you  right  here !  You  've  been  whoopin' 
and  yellin'  and  circus-ridin'  on  the  roads  like  ez  yer  wos 
Comanches,  and  frightening  all  the  women-folk  within 
miles  —  that 's  your  huntin'  !  You  've  been  climbin'  down 
paw's  old  slide  at  last,  and  makin'  tracks  for  here  to  save 
the  skins  of  them  condemned  government  horses  of  the 
Kempany  !  And  that's  your  huntin' !  " 

To  Hale's  surprise,  a  burst  of  laughter  from  the  party 
followed  this  speech.  He  tried  to  join  in,  but  this  ridicu- 
lous summary  of  the  result  of  his  enthusiastic  sense  of  duty 
left  him  —  the  only  earnest  believer  —  mortified  and  em- 
barrassed. Nor  was  he  the  less  concerned  as  he  found  the 
girl's  dark  eyes  had  rested  once  or  twice  upon  him  curiously. 

Zenobia  laughed  too,  and,  lazily  turning  the  chair  around, 
dropped  into  it.  "  And  by  this  time  George  Lee  's  loungin' 
back  in  his  chyar  and  smokin'  his  cigyar  somewhar  in  Sac- 
ramento," she  added,  stretching  her  feet  out  to  the  fire, 
and  suiting  the  action  to  the  word  with  an  imaginary  cigar 
between  the  long  fingers  of  a  thin  and  not  over-clean  hand. 

({ We  cave,  Zeenie !  "  said  Kawlins,  when  their  hilarity 
had  subsided  to  a  more  subdued  and  scarcely  less  flattering 
admiration  of  the  unconcerned  goddess  before  them. 
"  That 's  about  the  size  of  it.  You  kin  rake  down  the 
pile.  I  forgot  you  're  an  old  friend  of  George's." 

"  He  's  a  white  man !  "  said  the  girl  decidedly. 

"  Ye  used  to  know  him  ?  "  continued  Rawlins. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S  199 

"  Once.     Paw  ain't  in  that  line  now/7  she  said  simply. 

There  was  such  a  sublime  unconsciousness  of  any  moral 
degradation  involved  in  this  allusion  that  even  Hale  ac- 
cepted it  without  a  shock.  She  rose  presently,  and,  going 
to  the  little  sideboard,  brought  out  a  number  of  glasses ; 
these  she  handed  to  each  of  the  party,  and  then,  producing 
a  demijohn  of  whiskey,  slung  it  dexterously  and  gracefully 
over  her  arm,  so  that  it  rested  on  her  elbow  like  a  cradle, 
and,  going  to  each  one  in  succession,  filled  their  glasses. 
It  obliged  each  one  to  rise  to  accept  the  libation,  and  as 
Hale  did  so  in  his  turn  he  met  the  dark  eyes  of  the  girl 
full  on  his  own.  There  was  a  pleased  curiosity  in  her 
glance  that  made  this  married  man  of  thirty-five  color  as 
awkwardly  as  a  boy. 

The  tender  of  refreshment  being  understood  as  a  tacit 
recognition  of  their  claims  to  a  larger  hospitality,  all  further 
restraint  was  removed.  Zenobia  resumed  her  seat,  and  pla- 
cing her  elbow  on  the  arm  of  her  chair,  and  her  small  round 
chin  in  her  hand,  looked  thoughtfully  in  the  fire.  "  When 
I  say  George  Lee 's  a  white  man,  it  ain't  because  I  know 
him.  It 's  his  general  gait.  Wot 's  he  ever  done  that 's 
underhanded  or  mean  ?  Nothin' !  You  can't  show  the 
poor  man  he 's  ever  took  a  picayune  from.  When  he  's 
helped  himself  to  a  pile  it 's  been  outer  them  banks  or  them 
express  companies,  that  think  it  mighty  fine  to  bust  up 
themselves,  and  swindle  the  poor  folks  o'  their  last  cent, 
and  nobody  talks  oj  huntin'  them !  And  does  he  keep 
their  money  ?  No ;  he  passes  it  round  among  the  boys 
that  help  him,  and  they  put  it  in  circulation.  He  don't 
keep  it  for  himself ;  he  ain't  got  fine  houses  in  'Frisco  ;  he 
don't  keep  fast  horses  for  show.  Like  ez  not  the  critter  he 
did  that  job  with  —  ef  it  was  him  —  none  of  you  boys 
would  have  rid  !  And  he  takes  all  the  risks  himself  j  you 
ken  bet  your  life  that  every  man  with  him  was  safe  and 
away  afore  he  turned  his  back  on  you-uns." 


200  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 

"  He  certainly  drops  a  little  of  his  money  at  draw-poker, 
Zeenie,"  said  Clinch,  laughing.  "He  lost  five  thousand 
dollars  to  Sheriff  Kelly  last  week." 

"  Well,  I  don't  hear  of  the  sheriff  huntin'  him  to  give  it 
back,  nor  do  I  reckon  Kelly  handed  it  over  to  the  Express 
it  was  taken  from.  I  heard  you  won  suthin'  from  him  a 
spell  ago.  I  reckon  you  've  heen  huntin'  him  to  find  out 
whar  you  should  return  it."  The  laugh  was  clearly  against 
Clinch.  He  was  about  to  make  some  rallying  rejoinder 
when  the  young  girl  suddenly  interrupted  him.  "Ef 
you  're  wantin'  to  hunt  somebody,  why  don't  you  take 
higher  game  ?  Thar  's  that  Jim  Harkins :  go  for  him,  and 
I  '11  join  you." 

"  Harkins  !  "  exclaimed  Clinch  and  Hale  simultaneously. 

"Yes,  Jim  Harkins;  do  you  know  him?"  she  said, 
glancing  from  the  one  to  the  other. 

"  One  of  my  friends  does,"  said  Clinch,  laughing  ;  "  but 
don't  let  that  stop  you." 

"  And  you  —  over  there,"  continued  Zenobia,  bending 
her  head  and  eyes  towards  Hale. 

"  The  fact  is  —  I  believe  he  was  my  banker,"  said  Hale, 
with  a  smile.  "  I  don't  know  him  personally." 

"  Then  you  'd  better  hunt  him  before  he  does  you." 

"  What 's  he  done,  Zeenie  ?  "  asked  Bawlins,  keenly 
enjoying  the  discomfiture  of  the  others. 

"  What  ?  "  She  stopped,  threw  her  long  black  braids 
over  her  shoulder,  clasped  her  knee  with  her  hands,  and 
rocking  backwards  and  forwards,  sublimely  unconscious  of 
the  apparition  of  a  slim  ankle  and  half-dropped-off  slipper 
from  under  her  shortened  gown,  continued,  "  It  might  n't 
please  him"  she  said  slyly,  nodding  towards  Hale. 

"Pray  don't  mind  me,"  said  Hale,  with  unnecessary 
eagerness. 

"Well,"  said  Zenobia,  "I  reckon  you  all  know  Ned 
Falkner  and  the  Excelsior  Ditch  ?  " 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  201 

"  Yes,  Falkner  's  the  superintendent  of  it,"  said  Raw- 
lins.  "  And  a  square  man  too.  Thar  ain't  anything  mean 
about  him." 

"  Shake,"  said  Zenobia,  extending  her  hand.  Eawlins 
shook  the  proffered  hand  with  eager  spontaneousness,  and 
the  girl  resumed  :  "  He  's  about  ez  good  ez  they  make  'em 
—  you  bet.  Well,  you  know  Ned  has  put  all  his  money, 
and  all  his  strength,  and  all  his  sabe,  and  "  — 

"  His  good  looks,"  added  Clinch  mischievously. 

"  Into  that  Ditch,"  continued  Zenobia,  ignoring  the  in- 
terruption. "  It 's  his  mother,  it  's  his  sweetheart,  it 's  his 
everything  !  When  other  chaps  of  his  age  was  cavortin' 
round  'Frisco,  and  havin'  high  jinks,  Ned  was  in  his  Ditch. 
'  Wait  till  the  Ditch  is  done/  he  used  to  say.  '  Wait  till 
she  begins  to  boom,  and  then  you  just  stand  round.'  Mor'n 
that,  he  got  all  the  boys  to  put  in  their  last  cent  —  for 
they  loved  Ned,  and  love  him  now,  like  ez  ef  he  wos  a 
woman." 

"  That 's  so,"  said  Clinch  and  Eawlins  simultaneously, 
"  and  he 's  worth  it." 

"  Well,"  continued  Zenobia,  "  the  Ditch  did  n't  boom  ez 
soon  ez  they  kalkilated.  And  then  the  boys  kept  gettin' 
poorer  and  poorer,  and  Ned  he  kept  gettin'  poorer  and  poorer 
in  everything  but  his  hopefulness  and  grit.  Then  he  looks 
around  for  more  capital.  And  about  this  time,  that  coyote 
Harkins  smelt  suthin'  nice  up  there,  and  he  gits  Ned  to 
give  him  control  of  it,  and  he  '11  lend  him  his  name  and  fix 
up  a  company.  Soon  ez  he  gets  control,  the  first  thing  he 
does  is  to  say  that  it  wants  half  a  million  o'  money  to 
make  it  pay,  and  levies  an  assessment  of  two  hundred  dol- 
lars a  share.  That 's  nothin'  for  them  rich  fellows  to  pay, 
or  pretend  to  pay,  but  for  boys  on  grub  wages  it  meant 
only  ruin.  They  could  n't  pay,  and  had  to  forfeit  their 
shares  for  next  to  nothing.  And  Ned  made  one  more  desper- 
ate attempt  to  save  them  and  himself  by  borrowing  money 


202  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 

on  his  shares  ;  when  that  hound  Harkins  got  wind  of  it, 
and  let  it  be  buzzed  around  that  the  Ditch  is  a  failure,  and 
that  he  was  goin'  out  of  it ;  that  brought  the  shares  down 
to  nothing.  As  Ned  couldn't  raise  a  dollar,  the  new  com- 
pany swooped  down  on  his  shares  for  the  debts  they  had 
put  up,  and  left  him  and  the  boys  to  help  themselves.  Ned 
could  n't  bear  to  face  the  boys  that  he  'd  helped  to  ruin, 
and  put  out,  and  ain't  been  heard  from  since.  After  Harkins 
had  got  rid  of  Ned  and  the  boys  he  manages  to  pay  off  that 
wonderful  debt,  and  sells  out  for  a  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars. That  money — Ned's  money  —  he  sends  to  Sacra- 
mento, for  he  don't  dare  to  travel  with  it  himself,  and  is 
kalkilatin'  to  leave  the  kentry,  for  some  of  the  boys  allow 
to  kill  him  on  sight.  So  ef  you  're  wantin'  to  hunt  suthin', 
thar  's  yer  chance,  and  you  need  n't  go  inter  the  snow  to 
do  it." 

"  But  surely  the  law  can  recover  this  money  ?  "  said 
Hale  indignantly.  "  It  is  as  infamous  a  robbery  as  "  —  He 
stopped  as  he  caught  Zenobia's  eye. 

"  Ez  last  night's,  you  were  goin'  to  say.  I  '11  call  it 
more.  Them  road  agents  don't  pretend  to  be  your  friend 
—  but  take  yer  money  and  run  their  risks.  For  ez  to  the 
law  —  that  can't  help  yer." 

"  It 's  a  skin  game,  and  you  might  ez  well  expect  to  re- 
cover a  gambling  debt  from  a  short  card  sharp,"  explained 
Clinch  ;  "  Falkner  oughter  shot  him  on  sight." 

"  Or  the  boys  lynched  him,"  suggested  Kawlins. 

"  I  think,"  said  Hale,  more  reflectively,  "  that  in  the 
absence  of  legal  remedy  a  man  of  that  kind  should  have 
been  forced  under  strong  physical  menace  to  give  up  his  ill- 
gotten  gains.  The  money  was  the  primary  object,  and  if 
that  could  be  got  without  bloodshed  —  which  seems  to  me 
a  useless  crime  —  it  would  be  quite  as  effective.  Of  course, 
if  there  was  resistance  or  retaliation,  it  might  be  necessary 
to  kill  him." 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S  203 

He  had  unconsciously  fallen  into  his  old  didactic  and 
dogmatic  habit  of  speech,  and  perhaps,  under  the  spur  of 
Zenobia's  eyes,  he  had  given  it  some  natural  emphasis.  A 
dead  silence  followed,  in  which  the  others  regarded  him 
with  amused  and  gratified  surprise,  and  it  was  broken  only 
by  Zenobia  rising  and  holding  out  her  hand.  "  Shake  !  " 

Hale  raised  it  gallantly,  and  pressed  his  lips  on  the  one 
spotless  finger. 

"  That 's  gospel  truth.  And  you  ain't  the  first  white 
man  to  say  it." 

"  Indeed,"  laughed  Hale.     "  Who  was  the  other  ?  " 

"  George  Lee  !  " 


CHAPTER   VI 

THE  laughter  that  followed  was  interrupted  by  a  sudden 
barking  of  the  dogs  in  the  outer  clearing.  Zenobia  rose 
lazily  and  strode  to  the  window.  It  relieved  Hale  of  cer- 
tain embarrassing  reflections  suggested  by  her  comment. 

"  Ef  it  ain't  that  God-forsaken  fool  Dick  bringing  up 
passengers  from  the  snow-bound  up  stage  in  the  road  !  I 
reckon  /  've  got  suthin'  to  say  to  that !  "  But  the  later 
appearance  of  the  apologetic  Dick,  with  the  assurance  that 
the  party  carried  a  permission  from  her  father,  granted  at 
the  lower  station  in  view  of  such  an  emergency,  checked 
her  active  opposition.  "  That 's  like  paw,"  she  solilo- 
quized aggrievedly ;  "  shuttin'  us  up  and  settin'  dogs  on 
everybody  for  a  week,  and  then  lettin'  the  whole  stage  ser- 
vice pass  through  one  door  and  out  at  another.  Well,  it  's 
his  house  and  his  whiskey,  and  they  kin  take  it,  but  they 
don't  get  me  to  help  'em." 

They  certainly  were  not  a  prepossessing  or  good-natured 
acquisition  to  the  party.  Apart  from  the  natural  antago- 
nism which,  on  such  occasions,  those  in  possession  always 
feel  towards  the  newcomer,  they  were  strongly  inclined  to 
resist  the  dissatisfied  querulousness  and  aggressive  attitude 
of  these  fresh  applicants  for  hospitality.  The  most  offen- 
sive one  was  a  person  who  appeared  to  exercise  some  au- 
thority over  the  others.  He  was  loud,  assuming,  and 
dressed  with  vulgar  pretension.  He  quickly  disposed  him- 
self in  the  chair  vacated  by  Zenobia,  and  called  for  some 
liquor. 

"  I  reckon  you  '11  hev  to  help  yourself,"  said  Eawlins 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S  205 

dryly,  as  the  summons  met  with  no  response.  "  There  are 
only  two  women  in  the  house,  and  I  reckon  their  hands  are 
full  already." 

"  I  call  it  d — d  uncivil  treatment,"  said  the  man,  raising 
his  voice ;  "  and  Hennicker  had  better  sing  smaller  if  he 
don't  want  his  old  den  pulled  down  some  day.  He  ain't 
any  better  than  men  that  hev  been  picked  up  afore  now." 

"  You  oughter  told  him  that,  and  mebbe  he  'd  hev  come 
over  with  yer,"  returned  Rawlins.  "  He 's  a  mild,  soft, 
easy-going  man,  is  Hennicker  !  Ain't  he  Colonel  Clinch  ?  " 

The  casual  mention  of  Clinch's  name  produced  the  effect 
which  the  speaker  probably  intended.  The  stranger  stared 
at  Clinch,  who,  apparently  oblivious  of  the  conversation, 
was  blinking  his  cold  gray  eyes  at  the  fire.  Dropping  his 
aggressive  tone  to  mere  querulousness,  the  man  sought  the 
whiskey  demijohn,  and  helped  himself  and  his  companions. 
Fortified  by  liquor  he  returned  to  the  fire. 

"  I  reckon  you  've  heard  about  this  yer  robbery,  Colonel," 
he  said,  addressing  Clinch,  with  an  attempt  at  easy  famil- 
iarity. 

Without  raising  his  eyes  from  the  fire,  Clinch  briefly 
assented,  "  I  reckon." 

"  I'm  up  yer,  examining  into  it,  for  the  Express." 

"  Lost  much  ?  "  asked  Rawlins. 

"Not  so  much  ez  they  might  hev.  That  fool  Harkins 
had  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  greenbacks  sealed  up 
like  an  ordinary  package  of  a  thousand  dollars,  and  gave  it 
to  a  friend,  Bill  Guthrie,  in  the  bank  to  pick  out  some  un- 
likely chap  among  the  passengers  to  take  charge  of  it  to 
Reno.  He  would  n't  trust  the  Express.  Ha !  ha !  " 

The  dead,  oppressive  silence  that  followed  his  empty 
laughter  made  it  seem  almost  artificial.  Rawlins  held  his 
breath,  and  looked  at  Clinch.  Hale,  with  the  instincts  of 
a  refined,  sensitive  man,  turned  hot  with  the  embarrassment 
Clinch  should  have  shown.  For  that  gentleman,  without 


206  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 

lifting  his  eyes  from  the  fire,  and  with  no  apparent  change 
in  his  demeanor,  lazily  asked  :  — 

"  Ye  did  n't  ketch  the  name  o'  that  passenger  ?  " 

"  ^Naturally,  no  !  For  when  Guthrie  hears  what  was 
said  agin  him  he  wouldn't  give  his  name  until  he  heard 
from  him." 

"  And  what  was  said  agin  him  ?  "  asked  Clinch  mus- 
ingly- 

"  What  would  he  said  agin  a  man  that  give  up  that  sum 
o'  money,  like  a  chaw  of  tobacco,  for  the  asking !  Why, 
there  were  but  three  men,  as  far  ez  we  kin  hear,  that  did 
the  job.  And  there  were  four  passengers  inside,  armed, 
and  the  driver  and  express  messenger  on  the  box.  Six 
were  robbed  by  three  !  —  they  were  a  sweet-scented  lot ! 
Reckon  they  must  hev  felt  mighty  small,  for  I  hear  they 
got  up  and  skedaddled  from  the  station  under  the  pretext 
of  lookin'  for  the  robbers."  He  laughed  again,  and  the 
laugh  was  noisily  repeated  by  his  five  companions  at  the 
other  end  of  the  room. 

Hale,  who  had  forgotten  that  the  stranger  was  only 
echoing  a  part  of  his  own  criticism  of  eight  hours  before, 
was  on  the  point  of  rising  with  burning  cheeks  and  angry 
indignation,  when  the  lazily  uplifted  eye  of  Clinch  caught 
his,  and  absolutely  held  him  down  with  its  paralyzing  and 
deadly  significance.  Murder  itself  seemed  to  look  from 
those  cruelly  quiet  and  remorseless  gray  pupils.  For  a 
moment  he  forgot  his  own  rage  in  this  glimpse  of  Clinch's 
implacable  resentment ;  for  a  moment  he  felt  a  thrill  of 
pity  for  the  wretch  who  had  provoked  it.  He  remained 
motionless  and  fascinated  in  his  chair  as  the  lazy  lids  closed 
like  a  sheath  over  Clinch's  eyes  again.  E-awlins,  who  had 
probably  received  the  same  glance  of  warning,  remained 
equally  still. 

"  They  have  n't  heard  the  last  of  it  yet,  you  bet,"  con 
tinued  the  infatuated  stranger.      "  I  've  got  a  little  state- 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S  207 

ment  here  for  the  newspaper,"  he  added,  drawing  some 
papers  from  his  pocket ;  "  suthin'  I  just  run  off  in  the 
coach  as  I  came  along.  I  reckon  it  '11  show  things  up  in 
a  new  light.  It 's  time  there  should  he  some  change.  All 
the  cussiri'  that 's  heen  usually  done  hez  been  hy  the  pas- 
sengers agin  the  express  and  stage  companies.  I  propose 
that  the  Company  should  do  a  little  cussin'  themselves. 
See  ?  PYaps  you  don't  mind  my  readin'  it  to  ye  ?  It 's 
just  spicy  enough  to  suit  them  newspaper  chaps." 

"  Go  on,"  said  Colonel  Clinch  quietly. 

The  man  cleared  his  throat,  with  the  preliminary  pose 
of  authorship,  and  his  five  friends,  to  whom  the  composi- 
tion was  evidently  not  unfamiliar,  assumed  anticipatory 
smiles. 

"  I  call  it  e  Prize  Pusillanimous  Passengers.'  Sort  of 
runs  easy  off  the  tongue,  you  know. 

"  '  It  now  appears  that  the  success  of  the  late  stage- 
coach rohhery  near  the  Summit  was  largely  due  to  the 
pusillanimity  —  not  to  use  a  more  serious  word  ' }  —  He 
stopped,  and  looked  explanatorily  towards  Clinch  :  "  Ye  '11 
see  in  a  minit  what  I  'm  gettin7  at  by  that  pusillanimity  of 
the  passengers  themselves.  '  It  now  transpires  that  there 
were  only  three  robbers  who  attacked  the  coach,  and  that 
although  passengers,  driver,  and  express  messenger  were 
fully  armed,  and  were  double  the  number  of  their  assail- 
ants, not  a  shot  was  fired.  We  mean  no  reflections  upon 
the  well-known  courage  of  Yuba  Bill,  nor  the  experience 
and  coolness  of  Bracy  Tibbetts,  the  courteous  express  mes- 
senger, both  of  whom  have  since  confessed  to  have  been 
more  than  astonished  at  the  Christian  and  lamb-like  sub- 
mission of  the  insiders.  Amusing  stories  of  some  laugh- 
able yet  sickening  incidents  of  the  occasion  —  such  as 
grown  men  kneeling  in  the  road,  and  offering  to  strip  them- 
selves completely,  if  their  lives  were  only  spared ;  of  one 
of  the  passengers  hiding  under  the  seat,  and  only  being 


208  SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S 

dislodged  by  pulling  his  coat-tails ;  of  incredible  sums 
promised,  and  even  offers  of  menial  service,  for  the  preser- 
vation of  their  wretched  carcases  —  are  received  with  the 
greatest  gusto;  but  we  are  in  possession  of  facts  which 
may  lead  to  more  serious  accusations.  Although  one  of 
the  passengers  is  said  to  have  lost  a  large  sum  of  money 
intrusted  to  him,  while  attempting  with  barefaced  effront- 
ery to  establish  a  rival  "  carrying  "  business  in  one  of  the 
Express  Company's  own  coaches '  —  I  call  that  a  good 
point."  He  interrupted  himself  to  allow  the  unrestrained 
applause  of  his  own  party.  "  Don't  you  ?  " 

"  It 's  just  h — 11,"  said  Clinch  musingly. 

" '  Yet  the  affair,'  "  resumed  the  stranger,  from  his  man- 
uscript, " ( is  locked  up  in  great  and  suspicious  mystery. 
The  presence  of  Jackson  N.  Stanner,  Esq.'  (that's  me), 
1  special  detective  agent  to  the  Company,  and  his  staff  in 
town,  is  a  guaranty  that  the  mystery  will  be  thoroughly 
probed.'  Hed  to  put  that  in  to  please  the  Company,"  he 
again  deprecatingly  explained.  " '  We  are  indebted  to  this 
gentleman  for  the  facts.'  " 

"  The  pint  you  want  to  make  in  that  article,"  said  Clinch, 
rising,  but  still  directing  his  face  and  his  conversation  to 
the  fire,  "  ez  far  ez  I  ken  see  ez  that  no  three  men  kin  back 
down  six  unless  they  be  cowards,  or  are  willing  to  be  backed 
down." 

"  That 's  the  point  what  I  start  from,"  rejoined  Stanner, 
"  and  work  up.  I  leave  it  to  you  ef  it  ain't  so." 

"  I  can't  say  ez  I  agree  with  you,"  said  the  Colonel  dryly. 
He  turned,  and  still  without  lifting  his  eyes  walked  towards 
the  door  of  the  room  which  Zenobia  had  entered.  The  key 
was  on  the  inside,  but  Clinch  gently  opened  the  door, 
removed  the  key,  and  closing  the  door  again  locked  it  from 
his  side.  Hale  and  Rawlins  felt  their  hearts  beat  quickly  ; 
the  others  followed  Clinch's  slow  movements  and  downcast 
mien  with  amused  curiosity.  After  locking  the  other  out- 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  209 

let  from  the  room,  and  putting  the  keys  in  his  pocket, 
Clinch  returned  to  the  fire.  For  the  first  time  he  lifted  his 
eyes  ;  the  man  nearest  him  shrank  back  in  terror. 

"  I  am  the  man,"  he  said  slowly,  taking  deliberate  breath 
between  his  sentences,  "  who  gave  up  those  greenbacks  to 
the  robbers.  I  am  one  of  the  three  passengers  you  have 
lampooned  in  that  paper,  and  these  gentlemen  beside  me  are 
the  other  two."  He  stopped  and  looked  around  him. 
"  You  don't  believe  that  three  men  can  back  down  six ! 
Well,  I  '11  show  you  how  it  can  be  done.  More  than  that, 
I  '11  show  you  how  ONE  man  can  do  it ;  for,  by  the  living 
G — d,  if  you  don't  hand  over  that  paper  I  '11  kill  you  where 
you  sit !  I  '11  give  you  until  I  count  ten  ;  if  one  of  you 
moves  he  and  you  are  dead  men  —  but  you  first !  " 

Before  he  had  finished  speaking  Hale  and  Rawlins  had 
both  risen,  as  if  in  concert,  with  their  weapons  drawn. 
Hale  could  not  tell  how  or  why  he  had  done  so,  but  he  was 
equally  conscious,  without  knowing  why,  of  fixing  his  eye 
on  one  of  the  other  party,  and  that  he  should,  in  the  event 
of  an  affray,  try  to  kill  him.  He  did  not  attempt  to 
reason ;  he  only  knew  that  he  should  do  his  best  to  kill 
that  man  and  perhaps  others. 

"  One,"  said  Clinch,  lifting  his  derringer,  "  two  — 
three  "  — 

"Look  here,  Colonel  —  I  swear  I  didn't  know  it  was 
you.  Come  —  d — n  it !  I  say  —  see  here,"  stammered 
Stanner,  with  white  cheeks,  not  daring  to  glance  for  aid  to 
his  stupefied  party. 

"  Four  —  five  —  six  "  — 

"  Wait !  Here  !  "  He  produced  the  paper  and  threw  it 
on  the  floor. 

"  Pick  it  up  and  hand  it  to  me.      Seven  —  eight  "  — 

Stanner  hastily  scrambled  to  his  feet,  picked  up  the 
paper,  and  handed  it  to  the  Colonel.  "  I  was  only  joking, 
Colonel,"  he  said,  with  a  forced  laugh. 


210  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

"  I  'm  glad  to  hear  it.  But  as  this  joke  is  in  black  and 
white,  you  would  n't  mind  saying  so  in  the  same  fashion. 
Take  that  pen  and  ink  and  write  as  I  dictate.  '  I  certify 
that  I  am  satisfied  that  the  above  statement  is  a  base 
calumny  against  the  characters  of  Blngwood  Clinch,  Robert 
Rawlins,  and  John  Hale,  passengers,  and 'that  I  do  hereby 
apologize  to  the  same/  Sign  it.  That  '11  do.  Now  let 
the  rest  of  your  party  sign  as  witnesses." 

They  complied  without  hesitation ;  some,  seizing  the 
opportunity  of  treating  the  affair  as  a  joke,  suggested  a 
drink. 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  Clinch  quietly,  "  but  ez  this  house 
ain't  big  enough  for  me  and  that  man,  and  ez  I  've  got  busi- 
ness at  Wild  Cat  Station  with  this  paper,  I  think  I  '11  go 
without  drinkin'."  He  took  the  keys  from  his  pocket,  un- 
locked the  doors,  and  taking  up  his  overcoat  and  rifle  turned 
as  if  to  go. 

Eawlins  rose  to  follow  him  ;  Hale  alone  hesitated.  The 
rapid  occurrences  of  the  last  half  hour  gave  him  no  time 
for  reflection.  But  he  was  by  no  means  satisfied  of  the 
legality  of  the  last  act  he  had  aided  and  abetted,  although 
he  admitted  its  rude  justice,  and  felt  he  would  have  done 
so  again.  A  fear  of  this,  and  an  instinct  that  he  might  be 
led  into  further  complications  if  he  continued  to  identify 
himself  with  Clinch  and  Rawlins  ;  the  fact  that  they  had 
professedly  abandoned  their  quest,  and  that  it  was  really 
supplanted  by  the  presence  of  an  authorized  party  whom 
they  had  already  come  in  conflict  with  —  all  this  urged  him 
to  remain  behind.  On  the  other  hand,  the  apparent  de- 
sertion of  his  comrades  at  the  last  moment  was  opposed 
both  to  his  sense  of  honor  and  the  liking  he  had  taken  to 
them.  But  he  reflected  that  he  had  already  shown  his  ac- 
tive partisanship,  that  he  could  be  of  little  service  to  them 
at  Wild  Cat  Station,  and  would  be  only  increasing  the  dis- 
tance from  his  home  j  and  above  all,  an  impatient  longing 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  211 

for  independent  action  finally  decided  him.  "I  think  I 
will  stay  here,"  he  said  to  Clinch,  "unless  you  want  me." 

Clinch  cast  a  swift  and  meaning  glance  at  the  enemy,  but 
looked  approval.  "Keep  your  eyes  skinned,  and  you're 
good  for  a  dozen  of  'em,"  he  said,  sotto  voce,  and  then 
turned  to  Stanner.  "  I  'm  going  to  take  this  paper  to  Wild 
Cat.  If  you  want  to  communicate  with  me  hereafter,  you 
know  where  I  am  to  be  found,  unless  "  —  he  smiled  grimly 
—  "  you  'd  like  to  see  me  outside  for  a  few  minutes  before 
I  go  ?  " 

"  It  is  a  matter  that  concerns  the  Stage  Company,  not 
me,"  said  Stanner,  with  an  attempt  to  appear  at  his  ease. 

Hale  accompanied  Clinch  and  Rawlins  through  the  kitchen 
to  the  stables.  The  hostler,  Dick,  had  already  returned  to 
the  rescue  of  the  snow-bound  coach. 

"  I  should  n't  like  to  leave  many  men  alone  with  that 
crowd,"  said  Clinch,  pressing  Hale's  hand  ;  "and  I  would  n't 
have  allowed  your  staying  behind  ef  I  did  n't  know  I  could 
bet  my  pile  on  you.  Your  offerin'  to  stay  just  puts  a  clean 
finish  on  it.  Look  yer,  Hale,  I  did  n't  cotton  much  to  you 
at  first ;  but  ef  you  ever  want  a  friend,  call  on  Eingwood 
Clinch." 

"  The  same  here,  old  man,"  said  Rawlins,  extending  his 
hand  'as  he  appeared  from  a  hurried  conference  with  the 
old  woman  at  the  woodshed,  "  and  trust  to  Zeenie  to  give 
you  a  hint  ef  there 's  anythin'  underhanded  goin'  on.  So 
long." 

Half  inclined  to  resent  this  implied  suggestion  of  protec- 
tion, yet  half  pleased  at  the  idea  of  a  confidence  with  the 
handsome  girl  he  had  seen,  Hale  returned  to  the  room.  A 
whispered  discussion  among  the  party  ceased  on  his  enter- 
ing, and  an  awkward  silence  followed,  which  Hale  did  not 
attempt  to  break  as  he  quietly  took  his  seat  again  by  the 
fire.  He  was  presently  confronted  by  Stanner,  who  with 
an  affectation  of  easy  familiarity  crossed  over  to  the  hearth. 


212  SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S 

"  The  old  Kernel 's  d — d  peppery  and  high-toned  when 
he  ?s  got  a  little  more  than  his  reg'lar  three  fingers  o'  corn 
juice,  eh  ?  " 

"  I  must  beg  you  to  understand  distinctly,  Mr.  Stanner," 
said  Hale,  with  a  return  of  his  habitual  precision  of  state- 
ment, "  that  I  regard  any  slighting  allusion  to  the  gentle- 
man who  has  just  left  not  only  as  in  exceedingly  bad  taste 
coming  from  you,  but  very  offensive  to  myself.  If  you 
mean  to  imply  that  he  was  under  the  influence  of  liquor,  it 
is  my  duty  to  undeceive  you ;  he  was  so  perfectly  in  pos- 
session of  his  faculties  as  to  express  not  only  his  own  but 
my  opinion  of  your  conduct.  You  must  also  admit  that  he 
was  discriminating  enough  to  show  his  objection  to  your 
company  by  leaving  it.  I  regret  that  circumstances  do  not 
make  it  convenient  for  me  to  exercise  that  privilege ;  but  if 
I  am  obliged  to  put  up  with  your  presence  in  this  room,  I 
strongly  insist  that  it  is  not  made  unendurable  with  the 
addition  of  your  conversation." 

The  effect  of  this  deliberate  and  passionless  declaration 
was  more  discomposing  to  the  party  than  Clinch's  fury. 
Utterly  unaccustomed  to  the  ideas  and  language  suddenly 
confronting  them,  they  were  unable  to  determine  whether  it 
was  the  real  expression  of  the  speaker,  or  whether  it  was  a 
vague  badinage  or  affectation  to  which  any  reply  would  in- 
volve them  in  ridicule.  In  a  country  terrorized  by  practical 
joking,  they  did  not  doubt  that  this  was  a  new  form  of 
hoaxing  calculated  to  provoke  some  response  that  would 
constitute  them  as  victims.  The  immediate  effect  upon  them 
was  that  complete  silence  in  regard  to  himself  that  Hale 
desired.  They  drew  together  again  and  conversed  in  whis- 
pers, while  Hale,'  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  fire,  gave  him- 
self up  to  somewhat  late  and  useless  reflection. 

He  could  scarcely  realize  his  position.  For  however  he 
might  look  at  it,  within  a  space  of  twelve  hours  he  had  not 
only  changed  some  of  his  most  cherished  opinions,  but  he 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S  213 

had  acted  in  accordance  with  that  change  in  a  way  that 
made  it  seem  almost  impossible  for  him  ever  to  recant.  In 
the  interests  of  law  and  order  he  had  engaged  in  an  unlaw- 
ful and  disorderly  pursuit  of  criminals,  and  had  actually 
come  in  conflict  not  with  the  criminals,  but  with  the  only 
party  apparently  authorized  to  pursue  them.  More  than 
that,  he  was  finding  himself  committed  to  a  certain  sympa- 
thy with  the  criminals.  Twenty-four  hours  ago,  if  any  one 
had  told  him  that  he  would  have  condoned  an  illegal  act  for 
its  abstract  justice,  or  assisted  to  commit  an  illegal  act  for 
the  same  purpose,  he  would  have  felt  himself  insulted. 
That  he  knew  he  would  not  now  feel  it  as  an  insult  per- 
plexed him  still  more.  In  these  circumstances  the  fact  that 
he  was  separated  from  his  family,  and  as  it  were  from 
all  his  past  life  and  traditions,  by  a  chance  accident,  did  not 
disturb  him  greatly ;  indeed,  he  was  for  the  first  time  a 
little  doubtful  of  their  probable  criticism  on  his  inconsist- 
ency, and  was  by  no  means  in  a  hurry  to  subject  himself 
to  it. 

Lifting  his  eyes,  he  was  suddenly  aware  that  the  door 
leading  to  the  kitchen  was  slowly  opening.  He  had  thought 
he  heard  it  creak  once  or  twice  during  his  deliberate  reply 
to  Stanner.  It  was  evidently  moving  now  so  as  to  attract 
his  attention,  without  disturbing  the  others.  It  presently 
opened  sufficiently  wide  to  show  the  face  of  Zeenie,  who, 
with  a  gesture  of  caution  towards  his  companions,  beckoned 
him  to  join  her.  He  rose  carelessly  as  if  going  out,  and, 
putting  on  his  hat,  entered  the  kitchen  as  the  retreating 
figure  of  the  young  girl  glided  lightly  towards  the  stables. 
She  ascended  a  few  open  steps  as  if  to  a  hay-loft,  but  stopped 
before  a  low  door.  Pushing  it  open,  she  preceded  him  into 
a  small  room,  apparently  under  the  roof,  which  scarcely 
allowed  her  to  stand  upright.  By  the  light  of  a  stable 
lantern  hanging  from  a  beam  he  saw  that,  though  poorly 
furnished,  it  bore  some  evidence  of  feminine  taste  and  hab- 


214  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

itation.  Motioning  to  the  only  chair,  she  seated  herself 
on  the  edge  of  the  bed,  with  her  hands  clasping  her  knees  in 
her  familiar  attitude.  Her  face  hore  traces  of  recent  agita- 
tion, and  her  eyes  were  shining  with  tears.  By  the  closer 
light  of  the  lantern  he  was  surprised  to  find  it  was  from 
laughter. 

"  I  reckoned  you  ?d  be  right  lonely  down  there  with 
that  Stanner  crowd,  particklerly  after  that  little  speech  o' 
yourn,  so  I  sez  to  maw  I  'd  get  you  up  yer  for  a  spell. 
Maw  and  I  heerd  you  exhort  'em  !  Maw  allowed  you 
woz  talkin'  a  furrin'  tongue  all  along,  but  I  —  sakes  alive  ! 
—  I  hed  to  hump  myself  to  keep  from  bustin'  into  a  yell 
when  yer  jist  drawed  them  Webster-unabridged  sentences 
on  'em."  She  stopped  and  rocked  backwards  and  forwards 
with  a  laugh  that,  subdued  by  the  proximity  of  the  roof 
and  the  fear  of  being  overheard,  was  by  no  means  unmusi- 
cal. "I'll  tell  ye  whot  got  me,  though!  That  part 
commencing,  '  Suckamstances  over  which  I  've  no  con- 
troul.'  " 

"  Oh,  come !  I  did  n't  say  that,"  interrupted  Hale, 
laughing. 

"  '  Don't  make  it  convenient  for  me  to  exercise  the  priv- 
ilege of  kickin'  yer  out  to  that  extent,' "  she  continued ; 
" '  but  if  I  cannot  dispense  with  your  room,  the  least  I  can 
say  is  that  it 's  a  d — d  sight  better  than  your  company '  — 
or  suthin'  like  that !  And  then  the  way  you  minded  your 
stops,  and  let  your  voice  rise  and  fall  just  ez  easy  ez  if  you 
wos  a  First  Header  in  large  type.  Why,  the  Kernel  was  n't 
nowhere.  His  cussin'  did  n't  come  within  a  mile  o'  yourn. 
That  Stanner  jist  turned  yaller." 

"  I  'm  afraid  you  are  laughing  at  me,"  said  Hale,  not 
knowing  whether  to  be  pleased  or  vexed  at  the  girl's 
amusement. 

"  I  reckon  I  'm  the  only  one  that  dare  do  it,  then,"  said 
the  girl  simply.  "  The  Kernel  sez  the  way  you  turned 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  215 

round  after  he  'd  done  his  cussin',  and  said  yer  believed 
you  'd  stay  and  take  the  responsibility  of  the  whole  thing 
—  and  did  in  that  kam,  soft,  did-anybody-speak-to-me 
style  —  was  the  neatest  thing  he  'd  seen  yet !  No  !  Maw 
says  I  ain't  much  on  manners,  but  I  know  a  man  when  I 
see  him." 

For  an  instant  Hale  gave  himself  up  to  the  delicious 
flattery  of  unexpected,  unintended,  and  apparently  unin- 
terested compliment.  Becoming  at  last  a  little  embarrassed 
under  the  frank  curiosity  of  the  girl's  dark  eyes,  he  changed 
the  subject. 

"  Do  you  always  come  up  here  through  the  stables  ?  "  he 
asked,  glancing  round  the  room,  which  was  evidently  her 
own. 

"  I  reckon,"  she  answered  half  abstractedly.  "  There  ?s 
a  ladder  down  thar  to  maw's  room  "  —  pointing  to  a  trap- 
door beside  the  broad  chimney  that  served  as  a  wall  — 
"  but  it 's  handier  the  other  way,  and  nearer  the  bosses  ef 
you  want  to  get  away  quick." 

This  palpable  suggestion  —  borne  out  by  what  he  re- 
membered of  the  other  domestic  details  —  that  the  house 
had  been  planned  with  reference  to  sudden  foray  or  escape 
reawakened  his  former  uneasy  reflections.  Zeenie,  who 
had  been  watching  his  face,  added,  "  It 's  no  slouch,  when 
b'ar  or  painters  hang  round  nights  and  stampede  the  stock, 
to  be  able  to  swing  yourself  on  to  a  hoss  whenever  you 
hear  a  row  goin'  on  outside." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  "  — 

"Paw  used,  and  I  do  now,  sense  I've  come  into  the 
room."  She  pointed  to  a  nondescript  garment,  half  cloak, 
half  habit,  hanging  on  the  wall.  "  I  've  been  outer  bed 
and  on  Pitchpine's  back  as  far  ez  the  trail  five  minutes 
arter  I  heard  the  first  bellow." 

Hale  regarded  her  with  undisguised  astonishment.  There 
was  nothing  at  all  Amazonian  or  horsey  in  her  manners, 


216  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 

nor  was  there  even  the  robust  physical  contour  that  might 
have  been  developed  through  such  experiences.  On  the 
contrary,  she  seemed  to  be  lazily  effeminate  in  body  and 
mind.  Heedless  of  his  critical  survey  of  her,  she  beckoned 
him  to  draw  his  chair  nearer,  and,  looking  into  his  eyes, 
said  :  — 

"  Whatever  possessed  you  to  take  to  huntin'  men  ?  " 

Hale  was  staggered  by  the  question,  but  nevertheless 
endeavored  to  explain.  But  he  was  surprised  to  find  that 
his  explanation  appeared  stilted  even  to  himself,  and,  he 
could  not  doubt,  was  utterly  incomprehensible  to  the  girl. 
She  nodded  her  head,  however,  and  continued  :  — 

"  Then  you  haven't  anythin'  agin  George  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  George,"  said  Hale,  smiling.  "  My  pro- 
ceeding was  against  the  highwayman." 

"Well,  he  was  the  highwayman." 

"  I  mean,  it  was  the  principle  I  objected  to — a  principle 
that  I  consider  highly  dangerous." 

"  Well,  he  is  the  principal,  for  the  others  only  helped,  I 
reckon,"  said  Zeenie,  with  a  sigh,  "  and  I  reckon  he  is 
dangerous." 

Hale  saw  it  was  useless  to  explain.  The  girl  con- 
tinued :  — 

"  What  made  you  stay  here  instead  of  going  on  with  the 
Kernel  ?  There  was  suthin'  else  besides  your  wanting  to 
make  that  Stanner  take  water.  What  is  it  ?  " 

A  light  sense  of  the  propinquity  of  beauty,  of  her  con- 
fidence, of  their  isolation,  of  the  eloquence  of  her  dark 
eyes,  at  first  tempted  Hale  to  a  reply  of  simple  gallantry  ; 
a  graver  consideration  of  the  same  circumstances  froze  it 
upon  his  lips. 

"  I  don't  know,"  he  returned  awkwardly. 

"  Well,  I  '11  tell  you,"  she  said.  "  You  did  n't  cotton 
to  the  Kernel  and  Rawlins  much  more  than  you  did  to 
Stanner.  They  ain't  your  kind." 


SNOW-BOUND  AT   EAGLE'S  217 

In  his  embarrassment  Hale  blundered  upon  the  thought 
he  had  honorably  avoided. 

"  Suppose/7  he  said,  with  a  constrained  laugh,  "  I  had 
stayed  to  see  you  ?  " 

"I  reckon  /  ain't  your  kind,  neither,"  she  replied 
promptly.  There  was  a  momentary  pause  when  she  rose 
and  walked  to  the  chimney.  "It's  very  quiet  down 
there,"  she  said,  stooping  and  listening  over  the  roughly 
boarded  floor  that  formed  the  ceiling  of  the  room  below. 
"  I  wonder  what 's  going  on  ?  " 

In  the  belief  that  this  was  a  delicate  hint  for  his  return 
to  the  party  he  had  left,  Hale  rose,  but  the  girl  passed 
him  hurriedly,  and,  opening  the  door,  cast  a  quick  glance 
into  the  stable  beyond. 

"  Just  as  I  reckoned  —  the  horses  are  gone  too.  They  've 
skedaddled,"  she  said  blankly. 

Hale  did  not  reply.  In  his  embarrassment  a  moment 
ago  the  idea  of  taking  an  equally  sudden  departure  had 
flashed  upon  him.  Should  he  take  this  as  a  justification  of 
that  impulse,  or  how  ?  He  stood  irresolutely  gazing  at  the 
girl,  who  turned  and  began  to  descend  the  stairs  silently. 
He  followed.  When  they  reached  the  lower  room  they 
found  it  as  they  had  expected  —  deserted. 

"  I  hope  I  did  n't  drive  them  away,"  said  Hale,  with  an 
uneasy  look  at  the  troubled  face  of  the  girl.  "  For  I  really 
had  an  idea  of  going  myself  a  moment  ago." 

She  remained  silent,  gazing  out  of  the  window.  Then, 
turning  with  a  slight  shrug  of  her  shoulders,  said  half 
defiantly  :  "  What 's  the  use  now  ?  Oh,  maw  !  the  Stanner 
crowd  has  vamosed  the  ranch,  and  this  yer  stranger  kalki- 
lates  to  stay  !  " 


CHAPTEE  VII 

A  WEEK  had  passed  at  Eagle's  Court  —  a  week  of  mingled 
clouds  and  sunshine  by  day,  of  rain  over  the  green  plateau 
and  snow  on  the  mountain  by  night.  Each  morning  had 
brought  its  fresh  greenness  to  the  winter-girt  domain,  and  a 
fresh  coat  of  dazzling  white  to  the  barrier  that  separated  its 
dwellers  from  the  world  beyond.  There  was  little  change 
in  the  encompassing  wall  of  their  prison ;  if  anything,  the 
snowy  circle  round  them  seemed  to  have  drawn  its  lines 
nearer  day  by  day.  The  immediate  result  of  this  restricted 
limit  had  been  to  confine  the  range  of  cattle  to  the  meadows 
nearer  the  house,  and  at  a  safe  distance  from  the  fringe  of 
wilderness  now  invaded  by  the  prowling  tread  of  predatory 
animals. 

Nevertheless,  the  two  figures  lounging  on  the  slope  at 
sunset  gave  very  little  indication  of  any  serious  quality  in 
the  situation.  Indeed,  so  far  as  appearances  were  con- 
cerned, Kate,  who  was  returning  from  an  afternoon  stroll 
with  Falkner,  exhibited,  with  feminine  inconsistency,  a 
decided  return  to  the  world  of  fashion  and  conventionality 
apparently  just  as  she  was  effectually  excluded  from  it. 
She  had  not  only  discarded  her  white  dress  as  a  concession 
to  the  practical  evidence  of  the  surrounding  winter,  but  she 
had  also  brought  out  a  feather  hat  and  sable  muff  which 
had  once  graced  a  fashionable  suburb  of  Boston.  Even 
Falkner  had  exchanged  his  slouch  hat  and  picturesque 
serape  for  a  beaver  overcoat  and  fur  cap  of  Hale's  which 
had  been  pressed  upon  him  by  Kate,  under  the  excuse  of 
the  exigencies  of  the  season.  Within  a  stone's  throw  of 


SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S  219 

the  thicket,  turbulent  with  the  savage  forces  of  nature, 
they  walked  with  the  abstraction  of  people  hearing  only 
their  own  voices ;  in  the  face  of  the  solemn  peaks  clothed 
with  white  austerity  they  talked  gravely  of  dress. 

"  I  don't  mean  to  say/7  said  Kate  demurely,  "  that  you  're 
to  give  up  the  serape  entirely ;  you  can  wear  it  on  rainy 
nights  and  when  you  ride  over  here  from  your  friend's  house 
to  spend  the  evening  —  for  the  sake  of  old  times,"  she  added, 
with  an  unconscious  air  of  referring  to  an  already  antiquated 
friendship  ;  "  but  you  must  admit  it 's  a  little  too  gorgeous 
and  theatrical  for  the  sunlight  of  day  and  the  public  high- 
way." 

"  But  why  should  that  make  it  wrong,  if  the  experience 
of  a  people  has  shown  it  to  be  a  garment  best  fitted  for  their 
wants  and  requirements  ?  "  said  Falkner  argumentatively. 

"But  you  are  not  one  of  those  people,"  said  Kate,  "and 
that  makes  all  the  difference.  You  look  differently  and  act 
differently,  so  that  there  is  something  irreconcilable  between 
your  clothes  and  you  that  makes  you  look  odd." 

"  And  to  look  odd,  according  to  your  civilized  prejudices, 
is  to  be  wrong,"  said  Falkner  bitterly. 

"It  is  to  seem  different  from  what  one  really  is  —  which 
is  wrong.  Now,  you  are  a  mining  superintendent,  you  tell 
me.  Then  you  don't  want  to  look  like  a  Spanish  brigand, 
as  you  do  in  that  serape.  I  am  sure  if  you  had  ridden  up 
to  a  stagecoach  while  I  was  in  it,  I  'd  have  handed  you  my 
watch  and  purse  without  a  word.  There  !  you  are  not 
offended  ?  "  she  added,  with  a  laugh,  which  did  not,  how- 
ever, conceal  a  certain  earnestness.  "  I  suppose  I  ought  to 
have  said  I  would  have  given  it  gladly  to  such  a  romantic 
figure,  and  perhaps  have  got  out  and  danced  a  saraband  or 
bolero  with  you  —  if  that  is  the  thing  to  do  nowadays. 
Well ! "  she  said,  after  a  dangerous  pause,  "  consider  that 
I  've  said  it." 

He  had  been  walking  a  little  before  her,  with  his  face 


220  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 

turned  towards  the  distant  mountain.  Suddenly  he  stopped 
and  faced  her.  "  You  would  have  given  enough  of  your 
time  to  the  highwayman,  Miss  Scott,  as  would  have  enabled 
you  to  identify  him  for  the  police  —  and  no  more.  Like 
your  brother,  you  would  have  been  willing  to  sacrifice  yourself 
for  the  benefit  of  the  laws  of  civilization  and  good  order." 

If  a  denial  to  this  assertion  could  have  been  expressed 
without  the  use  of  speech,  it  was  certainly  transparent  in  the 
face  and  eyes  of  the  young  girl  at  that  moment.  If  Falkner 
had  been  less  self-conscious  he  would  have  seen  it  plainly. 
But  Kate  only  buried  her  face  in  her  lifted  muff,  slightly 
raised  her  pretty  shoulders,  and,  dropping  her  tremulous 
eyelids,  walked  on.  "It  seems  a  pity,"  she  said,  after  a 
pause,  "  that  we  cannot  preserve  our  own  miserable  existence 
without  taking  something  from  others  —  sometimes  even  a 
life  !  "  He  started.  "  And  it 's  horrid  to  have  to  remind 
you  that  you  have  yet  to  kill  something  for  the  invalid's 
supper,"  she  continued.  "I  saw  a  hare  in  the  field  yonder." 

"  You  mean  that  jackass-rabbit  ?  "  he  said  abstractedly. 

"  What  you  please.  It 's  a  pity  you  did  n't  take  your 
gun  instead  of  your  rifle." 

"  I  brought  the  rifle  for  protection." 

"  And  a  shot-gun  is  only  aggressive,  I  suppose  ?  " 

Falkner  looked  at  her  for  a  moment,  and  then,  as  the 
hare  suddenly  started  across  the  open  a  hundred  yards 
away,  brought  the  rifle  to  his  shoulder.  A  long  interval  — 
as  it  seemed  to  Kate  —  elapsed  ;  the  animal  appeared  to  be 
already  safely  out  of  range,  when  the  rifle  suddenly  cracked  ; 
the  hare  bounded  in  the  air  like  a  ball,  and  dropped  motion- 
less. The  girl  looked  at  the  marksman  in  undisguised 
admiration.  "  Is  it  quite  dead  ?  "  she  said  timidly. 

"  It  never  knew  what  struck  it." 

"  It  certainly  looks  less  brutal  than  shooting  it  with  a 
shot-gun,  as  John  does,  and  then  not  killing  it  outright," 
said  Kate.  "I  hate  what  is  called  sport  and  sportsmen,  but 
a  rifle  seems  "  — 


SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S  221 

"  What  ?  "  said  Falkner. 

"  More  —  gentlemanly." 

She  had  raised  her  pretty  head  in  the  air,  and,  with  her 
hand  shading  her  eyes,  was  looking  around  the  clear  ether, 
and  said  meditatively,  "  I  wonder  —  no  matter." 

"  What  is  it  ?  " 

"  Oh,  nothing." 

"  It  is  something,"  said  Falkner,  with  an  amused  smile, 
reloading  his  rifle. 

"  Well,  you  once  promised  me  an  eagle's  feather  for  my 
hat.  Is  n't  that  thing  an  eagle  ?  " 

"  I  am  afraid  it  is  only  a  hawk." 

"  Well,  that  will  do.     Shoot  that !  " 

Her  eyes  were  sparkling.  Falkner  withdrew  his  own 
with  a  slight  smile,  and  raised  his  rifle  with  provoking 
deliberation. 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  it 's  what  you  want  ?  "  he  asked 
demurely. 

«  Yes  —  quick  !  " 

Nevertheless,  it  was  some  minutes  before  the  rifle  cracked 
again.  The  wheeling  bird  suddenly  struck  the  wind  with 
its  wings  aslant,  and  then  fell  like  a  plummet  at  a  distance 
which  showed  the  difficulty  of  the  feat.  Falkner  started 
from  her  side  before  the  bird  reached  the  ground.  He  re- 
turned to  her  after  a  lapse  of  a  few  moments,  bearing  a 
trailing  wing  in  his  hand.  "  You  shall  make  your  choice," 
he  said  gayly. 

"  Are  you  sure  it  was  killed  outright  ?  " 

"  Head  shot  off,"  said  Falkner  briefly. 

"And  besides,  the  fall  would  have  killed  it,"  said  Kate 
conclusively.  "  It 's  lovely.  I  suppose  they  call  you  a 
very  good  shot  ?  " 

"  They  —  who  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  the  people  you  know  —  your  friends,  and  their 
sisters." 


222  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 

"  George  shoots  better  than  I  do,  and  has  had  more  expe- 
rience. I  've  seen  him  do  that  with  a  pistol.  Of  course 
not  such  a  long  shot,  but  a  more  difficult  one." 

Kate  did  not  reply,  but  her  face  showed  a  conviction 
that  as  an  artistic  and  gentlemanly  performance  it  was 
probably  inferior  to  the  one  she  had  witnessed.  Falkner, 
who  had  picked  up  the  hare  also,  again  took  his  place  by  her 
side,  as  they  turned  towards  the  house. 

"  Do  you  remember  the  day  you  came,  when  we  were 
walking  here,  you  pointed  out  that  rock  on  the  mountain 
where  the  poor  animals  had  taken  refuge  from  the  snow  ?  " 
said  Kate  suddenly. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Falkner  ;  "  they  seem  to  have  dimin- 
ished. I  am  afraid  you  were  right ;  they  have  either  eaten 
each  other  or  escaped.  Let  us  hope  the  latter." 

"  I  looked  at  them  with  a  glass  every  day,"  said  Kate, 
"  and  they  've  got  down  to  only  four.  There  ?s  a  bear  and 
that  shabby,  overgrown  cat  you  call  a  California  lion,  and 
a  wolf,  and  a  creature  like  a  fox  or  a  squirrel." 

"  It 's  a  pity  they  're  not  all  of  a  kind,"  said  Falkner. 

"  Why  ?  " 

"  There  Jd  be  nothing  to  keep  them  from  being  comfort- 
able together." 

"  On  the  contrary.  /  should  think  it  would  be  simply 
awful  to  be  shut  up  entirely  with  one's  own  kind." 

"  Then  you  believe  it  is  possible  for  them,  with  their 
different  natures  and  habits,  to  be  happy  together  ?  "  said 
Falkner,  with  sudden  earnestness. 

"  I  believe,"  said  Kate  hurriedly,  "  that  the  bear  and 
the  lion  find  the  fox  and  the  wolf  very  amusing,  and  that 
the  fox  and  the  wolf  "  — 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Falkner,  stopping  short. 

"  Well,  the  fox  and  the  wolf  will  carry  away  a  much 
better  opinion  of  the  lion  and  bear  than  they  had  before." 

They  had  reached  the  house  by  this  time,  and  for  some 


Is  tit  that  thing  an  eagle 


SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S  223 

occult  reason  Kate  did  not  immediately  enter  the  parlor, 
where  she  had  left  her  sister  and  the  invalid,  who  had  al- 
ready been  promoted  to  a  sofa  and  a  cushion  by  the  win- 
dow, but  proceeded  directly  to  her  own  room.  As  a 
manoeuvre  to  avoid  meeting  Mrs.  Hale,  it  was  scarcely  ne- 
cessary, for  that  lady  was  already  in  advance  of  her  on  the 
staircase,  as  if  she  had  left  the  parlor  a  moment  before  they 
entered  the  house.  Falkner,  too,  would  have  preferred  the 
company  of  his  own  thoughts,  but  Lee,  apparently  the 
only  unpreoccupied,  all-pervading,  and  boyishly  alert  spirit 
in  the  party,  hailed  him  from  within,  and  obliged  him  to 
present  himself  on  the  threshold  of  the  parlor  with  the 
hare  and  hawk's  wing  he  was  still  carrying.  Eying  the 
latter  with  affected  concern,  Lee  said  gravely  :  "  Of  course, 
I  can  eat  it,  Ned,  and  I  dare  say  it 's  the  best  part  of  the 
fowl,  and  the  hare  is  n't  more  than  enough  for  the  women, 
but  I  had  no  idea  we  were  so  reduced.  Three  hours  and  a 
half  gunning,  and  only  one  hare  and  a  hawk's  wing.  It 's 
terrible." 

Perceiving  that  his  friend  was  alone,  Falkner  dropped 
his  burden  in  the  hall  and  strode  rapidly  to  his  side. 
"  Look  here,  George,  we  must,  J  must,  leave  this  place  at 
once.  It 's  no  use  talking ;  I  can  stand  this  sort  of  thing 
no  longer." 

"  Nor  can  I,  with  the  door  open.  Shut  it,  and  say  what 
you  want  quick,  before  Mrs.  Hale  comes  back.  Have  you 
found  a  trail  ?  " 

"  No,  no  ;  that 's  not  what  I  mean." 

"  Well,  it  strikes  me  it  ought  to  be,  if  you  expect  to  get 
away.  Have  you  proposed  to  Beacon  Street,  and  she 
thinks  it  rather  premature  on  a  week's  acquaintance  ?  " 

"No;  but"- 

"  But  you  will,  you  mean  ?     Don't,  just  yet." 

"  But  I  cannot  live  this  perpetual  lie." 

"  That  depends.     I  don't  know  how  you  're  lying  when 


224  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

I  'm  not  with  you.  If  you're  walking  round  with  that 
girl,  singing  hymns  and  talking  of  your  class  in  Sunday- 
school,  or  if  you  're  insinuating  that  you  're  a  millionaire, 
and  think  of  buying  the  place  for  a  summer  hotel,  I  should 
say  you  'd  better  quit  that  kind  of  lying.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  I  don't  see  the  necessity  of  your  dancing  round 
here  with  a  shot-gun,  and  yelling  for  Harkins's  blood,  or 
counting  that  package  of  greenbacks  in  the  lap  of  Miss 
Scott,  to  be  truthful.  It  seems  to  me  there  ought  to  be 
something  between  the  two." 

"  But,  George,  don't  you  think  —  you  are  on  such  good 
terms  with  Mrs.  Hale  and  her  mother  —  that  you  might 
tell  them  the  whole  story  ?  That  is,  tell  it  in  your  own 
way  ;  they  will  hear  anything  from  you,  and  believe  it." 

"  Thank  you ;  but  suppose  I  don't  believe  in  lying, 
either  ?  " 

"  You  know  what  I  mean  !  You  have  a  way,  d — n  it, 
of  making  everything  seem  like  a  matter  of  course,  and  the 
most  natural  thing  going." 

"  Well,  suppose  I  did.  Are  you  prepared  for  the 
worst  ?  " 

Falkner  was  silent  for  a  moment,  and  then  replied, 
"  Yes,  anything  would  be  better  than  this  suspense." 

"  I  don't  agree  with  you.  Then  you  would  be  willing 
to  have  them  forgive  us  ?  " 

"  I  don't  understand  you." 

"  I  mean  that  their  forgiveness  would  be  the  worst  thing 
that  could  happen.  Look  here,  Ned.  Stop  a  moment ; 
listen  at  that  door.  Mrs.  Hale  has  the  tread  of  an  angel, 
with  the  pervading  capacity  of  a  cat.  Now  listen  !  /  don't 
pretend  to  be  in  love  with  anybody  here,  but  if  I  were  I 
should  hardly  take  advantage  of  a  woman's  helplessness  and 
solitude  with  a  sensational  story  about  myself.  It 's  not 
giving  her  a  fair  show.  You  know  she  won't  turn  you  out 
of  the  house." 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  225 

"  No,"  said  Falkner,  reddening  ;  "  but  I  should  expect  to 
go  at  once,  and  that  would  be  my  only  excuse  for  telling  her." 

"  Go !  where  ?  In  your  preoccupation  with  that  girl 
you  have  n't  even  found  the  trail  by  which  Manuel  escaped. 
Do  you  intend  to  camp  outside  the  house,  and  make  eyes 
at  her  when  she  comes  to  the  window  ?  " 

"  Because  you  think  nothing  of  flirting  with  Mrs.  Hale," 
said  Falkner  bitterly,  "  you  care  little  "  — 

"  My  dear  Ned,"  said  Lee,  "  the  fact  that  Mrs.  Hale 
has  a  husband,  and  knows  that  she  can't  marry  me,  puts  us 
on  equal  terms.  Nothing  that  she  could  learn  about  me 
hereafter  would  make  a  flirtation  with  me  any  less  wrong 
than  it  would  be  now,  or  make  her  seem  more  a  victim. 
Can  you  say  the  same  of  yourself  and  that  Puritan  girl  ?  " 

"  But  you  did  not  advise  me  to  keep  aloof  from  her ;  on 
the  contrary,  you  "  — 

"  I  thought  you  might  make  the  best  of  the  situation, 
and  pay  her  some  attention,  because  you  could  not  go  any 
further." 

"  You  thought  I  was  utterly  heartless  and  selfish 
like"  — 

"Ned!" 

Falkner  walked  rapidly  to  the  fireplace,  and  returned. 

"  Forgive  me,  George  —  I  'm  a  fool  —  and  an  ungrateful 
one." 

Lee  did  not  reply  at  once,  although  he  took  and  retained 
the  hand  Falkner  had  impulsively  extended.  "  Promise 
me,"  he  said  slowly,  after  a  pause,  "  that  you  will  say  no- 
thing yet  to  either  of  these  women.  I  ask  it  for  your  own 
sake,  and  this  girl's,  not  for  mine.  If,  on  the  contrary, 
you  are  tempted  to  do  so  from  any  Quixotic  idea  of  honor, 
remember  that  you  will  only  precipitate  something  that  will 
oblige  you,  from  that  same  sense  of  honor,  to  separate  from 
the  girl  forever." 

"  I  don't  understand." 


226  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

"  Enough  !  "  said  he,  with  a  quick  return  of  his  old 
reckless  gayety.  "  Shoot-Off-His-Mouth  —  the  Beardless 
Boy  Chief  of  the  Sierras  —  has  spoken  !  Let  the  Pale 
Face  with  the  black  mustache  ponder  and  beware  how  he 
talks  hereafter  to  the  Eippling  Cochituate  Water  !  Go  !  " 

Nevertheless,  as  soon  as  the  door  had  closed  upon  Falk- 
ner,  Lee's  smile  vanished.  With  his  colorless  face  turned 
to  the  fading  light  at  the  window,  the  hollows  in  his  tem- 
ples and  the  lines  in  the  corners  of  his  eyes  seemed  to  have 
grown  more  profound.  He  remained  motionless  and  ab- 
sorbed in  thought  so  deep  that  the  light  rustle  of  a  skirt, 
that  would  at  other  times  have  thrilled  his  sensitive  ear, 
passed  unheeded.  At  last,  throwing  off  his  reverie  with 
the  full  and  unrestrained  sigh  of  a  man  who  believes  him- 
self alone,  he  was  startled  by  the  soft  laugh  of  Mrs.  Hale, 
who  had  entered  the  room  unperceived. 

"  Dear  me  !  How  portentous  !  Eeally,  I  almost  feel 
as  if  I  were  interrupting  a  tete-a-tete  between  yourself  and 
some  old  flame.  I  have  n't  heard  anything  so  old-fashioned 
and  conservative  as  that  sigh  since  I  have  been  in  Califor- 
nia. I  thought  you  never  had  any  Past  out  here  ?  " 

Fortunately  his  face  was  between  her  and  the  light,  and 
the  unmistakable  expression  of  annoyance  and  impatience 
which  passed  over  it  was  spared  her.  There  was,  however, 
still  enough  dissonance  in  his  manner  to  affect  her  quick 
feminine  sense,  and  when  she  drew  nearer  to  him  it  was 
with  a  certain  maiden-like  timidity. 

"  You  are  not  worse,  Mr.  Lee,  I  hope  ?  You  have  not 
over-exerted  yourself  ?  " 

"  There  ?s  little  chance  of  that  with  one  leg  —  if  not 
in  the  grave  at  least  mummified  with  bandages,"  he  replied, 
with  a  bitterness  new  to  him. 

"  Shall  I  loosen  them  ?  Perhaps  they  are  too  tight. 
There  is  nothing  so  irritating  to  one  as  the  sensation  of 
being  tightly  bound." 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S  227 

The  light  touch  of  her  hand  upon  the  rug  that  covered 
his  knees,  the  thoughtful  tenderness  of  the  "blue-veined  lids, 
and  the  delicate  atmosphere  that  seemed  to  surround  her 
like  a  perfume  cleared  his  face  of  its  shadow  and  Drought 
back  the  reckless  fire  into  his  blue  eyes. 

"  I  suppose  I  'm  intolerant  of  all  bonds/'  he  said,  look- 
ing at  her  intently,  "  in  others  as  well  as  myself  !  " 

Whether  or  not  she  detected  any  double  meaning  in  his 
words,  she  was  obliged  to  accept  the  challenge  of  his  direct 
gaze,  and,  raising  her  eyes  to  his,  drew  back  a  little  from 
him  with  a  slight  increase  of  color.  "  I  was  afraid  you 
had  heard  bad  news  just  now." 

"  What  would  you  call  bad  news  ?  "  asked  Lee,  clasping 
his  hands  behind  his  head,  and  leaning  back  on  the  sofa, 
but  without  withdrawing  his  eyes  from  her  face. 

"  Oh,  any  news  that  would  interrupt  your  convalescence, 
or  break  up  our  little  family  party,"  said  Mrs.  Hale. 
"  You  have  been  getting  on  so  well  that  really  it  would 
seem  cruel  to  have  anything  interfere  with  our  life  of  for- 
getting and  being  forgotten.  But,"  she  added,  with  appre- 
hensive quickness,  "  has  anything  happened  ?  Is  there 
really  any  news  from  —  from  the  trails  ?  Yesterday  Mr. 
Falkner  said  the  snow  had  recommenced  in  the  pass.  Has 
he  seen  anything,  noticed  anything  different  ?  " 

She  looked  so  very  pretty,  with  the  rare,  genuine,  and 
youthful  excitement  that  transfigured  her  wearied  and 
wearying  regularity  of  feature,  that  Lee  contented  himself 
with  drinking  in  her  prettiness  as  he  would  have  inhaled 
the  perfume  of  some  flower. 

"  Why  do  you  look  at  me  so,  Mr.  Lee  ? "  she  asked, 
with  a  slight  smile.  "  I  believe  something  has  happened. 
Mr.  Falkner  has  brought  you  some  intelligence." 

"  He  has  certainly  found  out  something  I  did  not  fore- 
see." 

«  And  that  troubles  you  ?  " 


228  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

"  It  does." 

"  Is  it  a  secret  ?  " 

"No." 

"  Then  I  suppose  you  will  tell  it  to  me  at  dinner,"  she 
said,  with  a  little  tone  of  relief. 

"  I  am  afraid,  if  I  tell  it  at  all,  I  must  tell  it  now,"  he 
said,  glancing  at  the  door. 

"  You  must  do  as  you  think  best,"  she  said  coldly,  "  as 
it  seems  to  be  a  secret,  after  all."  She  hesitated.  "Kate 
is  dressing,  and  will  not  be  down  for  some  time." 

"  So  much  the  better.  For  I  >m  afraid  that  Ned  has 
made  a  poor  return  to  your  hospitality  by  falling  in  love 
with  her." 

"  Impossible  !     He  has  known  her  for  scarcely  a  week." 

"  I  am  afraid  we  won't  agree  as  to  the  length  of  time 
necessary  to  appreciate  and  love  a  woman.  I  think  it  can 
be  done  in  seven  days  and  four  hours,  the  exact  time  we 
have  been  here." 

"  Yes ;  but  as  Kate  was  not  in  when  you  arrived,  and 
did  not  come  until  later,  you  must  take  off  at  least  one 
hour,"  said  Mrs.  Hale  gayly. 

"  Ned  can.     /  shall  not  abate  a  second." 

"  But  are  you  not  mistaken  in  his  feelings  ?  "  she  con- 
tinued hurriedly.  "  He  certainly  has  not  said  anything  to 
her." 

"  That  is  his  last  hold  on  honor  and  reason.  And  to 
preserve  that  little  intact  he  wants  to  run  away  at  once." 

"  But  that  would  be  very  silly." 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  "  he  said,  looking  at  her  fixedly. 

"  Why  not  ?  "  she  asked  in  her  turn,  but  rather  faintly. 

"  I  '11  tell  you  why,"  he  said,  lowering  his  voice  with  a 
certain  intensity  of  passion  unlike  his  usual  boyish  light- 
heartedness.  "  Think  of  a  man  whose  life  has  been  one  of 
alternate  hardness  and  aggression,  of  savage  disappointment 
and  equally  savage  successes,  who  has  known  no  other 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S  229 

relaxation  than  dissipation  or  extravagance  ;  a  man  to  whom 
the  idea  of  the  domestic  hearth  and  family  ties  only  meant 
weakness,  effeminacy,  or  —  worse ;  who  had  looked  for 
loyalty  and  devotion  only  in  the  man  who  hattled  for  him 
at  his  right  hand  in  danger,  or  shared  his  privations  and 
sufferings.  Think  of  such  a  man,  and  imagine  that  an  acci- 
dent has  suddenly  placed  him  in  an  atmosphere  of  purity, 
gentleness,  and  peace,  surrounded  him  hy  the  refinements 
of  a  higher  life  than  he  had  ever  known,  and  that  he  found 
himself  as  in  a  dream,  on  terms  of  equality  with  a  pure 
woman  who  had  never  known  any  other  life,  and  yet  would 
understand  and  pity  his.  Imagine  his  loving  her  !  Imagine 
that  the  first  effect  of  that  love  was  to  show  him  his  own 
inferiority  and  the  immeasurable  gulf  that  lay  between  his 
life  and  hers !  Would  he  not  fly  rather  than  brave  the 
disgrace  of  her  awakening  to  the  truth  ?  Would  he  not  fly 
rather  than  accept  even  the  pity  that  might  tempt  her  to  a 
sacrifice  ?  " 

«  But  —  is  Mr.  Falkner  all  that  ?  " 

"  Nothing  of  the  kind,  I  assure  you  !  "  said  he  demurely. 
"  But  that 's  the  way  a  man  in  love  feels." 

"  Really  !  Mr.  Falkner  should  get  you  to  plead  his 
cause  with  Kate,"  said  Mrs.  Hale,  with  a  faint  laugh. 

"  I  need  all  my  persuasive  powers  in  that  way  for  my- 
self," said  Lee  boldly. 

Mrs.  Hale  rose.  "I  think  I  hear  Kate  coming,"  she 
said.  Nevertheless,  she  did  not  move  away.  "  It  is  Kate 
coming,"  she  added  hurriedly,  stopping  to  pick  up  her 
work-basket,  which  had  slipped  with  Lee's  hand  from  her 
own. 

It  was  Kate,  who  at  once  flew  to  her  sister's  assistance, 
Lee  deploring  from  the  sofa  his  own  utter  inability  to  aid 
her.  "  It 's  all  my  fault,  too,"  he  said  to  Kate,  but  look- 
ing at  Mrs.  Hale.  "  It  seems  I  have  a  faculty  for  upsetting 
existing  arrangements  without  the  power  of  improving 


230  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

them,  or  even  putting  them  back  in  their  places.  What 
shall  I  do  ?  I  am  willing  to  hold  any  number  of  skeins  or 
re-wind  any  quantity  of  spools.  I  am  even  willing  to  for- 
give Ned  for  spending  the  whole  day  with  you,  and  only 
bringing  me  the  wing  of  a  hawk  for  supper." 

"  That  was  all  my  folly,  Mr.  Lee/7  said  Kate,  with  swift 
mendacity  ;  "  he  was  all  the  time  looking  after  something 
for  you,  when  I  begged  him  to  shoot  a  bird  to  get  a  feather 
for  my  hat.  And  that  wing  is  so  pretty." 

"  It  is  a  pity  that  mere  beauty  is  not  edible,"  said  Lee 
gravely,  "  and  that  if  the  worst  comes  to  the  worst  here 
you  would  probably  prefer  me  to  Ned  and  his  mustaches, 
merely  because  I  've  been  tied  by  the  leg  to  this  sofa  and 
slowly  fattened  like  a  Strasbourg  goose." 

Nevertheless,  his  badinage  failed  somehow  to  amuse  Kate, 
and  she  presently  excused  herself  to  rejoin  her  sister,  who 
had  already  slipped  from  the  room.  For  the  first  time 
during  their  enforced  seclusion  a  sense  of  restraint  and 
uneasiness  affected  Mrs.  Hale,  her  sister,  and  Falkner  at 
dinner.  The  latter  addressed  himself  to  Mrs.  Scott,  almost 
entirely.  Mrs.  Hale  was  fain  to  bestow  an  exceptional  and 
marked  tenderness  on  her  little  daughter  Minnie,  who,  how- 
ever, by  some  occult  childish  instinct,  insisted  upon  sharing 
it  with  Lee  —  her  great  friend  —  to  Mrs.  Hale's  uneasy 
consciousness.  Nor  was  Lee  slow  to  profit  by  the  child's 
suggestion,  but  responded  with  certain  vicarious  caresses 
that  increased  the  mother's  embarrassment.  That  evening 
they  retired  early,  but  in  the  intervals  of  a  restless  night 
Kate  was  aware,  from  the  sound  of  voices  in  the  opposite 
room,  that  the  friends  were  equally  wakeful. 

A  morning  of  bright  sunshine  and  soft  warm  air  did  not, 
however,  bring  any  change  to  their  new  and  constrained 
relations.  It  only  seemed  to  offer  a  reason  for  Falkner  to 
leave  the  house  very  early  for  his  daily  rounds,  and  gave 
Lee  that  occasion  for  unaided  exercise  with  an  extempore 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  231 

crutch  on  the  veranda  which  allowed  Mrs.  Hale  to  pursue 
her  manifold  duties  without  the  necessity  of  keeping  him 
company.  Kate  also,  as  if  to  avoid  an  accidental  meeting 
with  Falkner,  had  remained  at  home  with  her  sister.  With 
one  exception,  they  did  not  make  their  guests  the  subject  of 
their  usual  playful  comments,  nor,  after  the  fashion  of  their 
sex,  quote  their  ideas  and  opinions.  That  exception  was 
made  by  Mrs.  Hale. 

"  You  have  had  no  difference  with  Mr.  Falkner  ?  "  she 
said  carelessly. 

"No,"   said  Kate  quickly.      «  Why  ?  " 

"  I  only  thought  he  seemed  rather  put  out  at  dinner  last 
night,  and  you  did  n't  propose  to  go  and  meet  him  to-day." 

"  He  must  be  bored  with  my  company  at  times,  I  dare 
say,"  said  Kate,  with  an  indifference  quite  inconsistent 
with  her  rising  color.  "  I  should  n't  wonder  if  he  was  a 
little  vexed  with  Mr.  Lee's  chaffing  him  about  his  sport 
yesterday,  and  probably  intends  to  go  further  to-day,  and 
bring  home  larger  game.  I  think  Mr.  Lee  very  amusing 
always,  but  I  sometimes  fancy  he  lacks  feeling." 

"  Feeling !  You  don't  know  him,  Kate,"  said  Mrs. 
Hale  quickly.  She  stopped  herself,  but  with  a  half-smiling 
recollection  in  her  dropped  eyelids. 

"  Well,  he  does  n't  look  very  amiable  now,  stamping  up 
and  down  the  veranda.  Perhaps  you  'd  better  go  and  soothe 
him." 

"  I  'm  really  so  busy  just  now,"  said  Mrs.  Hale,  with 
sudden  and  inconsequent  energy  ;  "  things  have  got  dread- 
fully behind  in  the  last  week.  You  had  better  go,  Kate, 
and  make  him  sit  down,  or  he  '11  be  overdoing  it.  These 
men  never  know  any  medium  —  in  anything." 

Contrary  to  Kate's  expectation,  Falkner  returned  earlier 
than  usual,  and,  taking  the  invalid's  arm,  supported  him  in 
a  more  ambitious  walk  along  the  terrace  before  the  house. 
They  were  apparently  absorbed  in  conversation,  but  the  two 


232  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

women  who  observed  them  from  the  window  could  not  help 
noticing  the  almost  feminine  tenderness  of  Falkner's  man- 
ner towards  his  wounded  friend,  and  the  thoughtful  tender- 
ness of  his  ministering  care. 

"  I-  wonder,"  said  Mrs.  Hale,  following  them  with  softly 
appreciative  eyes,  "  if  women  are  capable  of  as  disinterested 
friendship  as  men  ?  I  never  saw  anything  like  the  devo- 
tion of  these  two  creatures.  Look  !  if  Mr.  Falkner  has  n't 
got  his  arm  round  Mr.  Lee's  waist,  and  Lee,  with  his  own 
arm  over  Falkner's  neck,  is  looking  up  in  his  eyes.  I  de- 
clare Kate,  it  almost  seems  an  indiscretion  to  look  at 
them." 

Kate,  however,  to  Mrs.  Hale's  indignation,  threw  her 
pretty  head  back  and  sniffed  the  air  contemptuously.  "  I 
really  don't  see  anything  but  some  absurd  sentimentalism 
of  their  own,  or  some  mannish  wickedness  they  're  concoct- 
ing by  themselves.  I  am  by  no  means  certain,  Josephine, 
that  Lee's  influence  over  that  young  man  is  the  best  thing 
for  him." 

"  On  the  contrary !  Lee's  influence  seems  the  only 
thing  that  checks  his  waywardness,"  said  Mrs.  Hale  quickly. 
"  I  'm  sure,  if  any  one  makes  sacrifices,  it  is  Lee ;  I  should  n't 
wonder  that  even  now  he  is  making  some  concession  to 
Falkner,  and  all  those  caressing  ways  of  your  friend  are  for 
a  purpose.  They  're  not  much  different  from  us,  dear." 

"  Well,  /  would  n't  stand  there  and  let  them  see  me 
looking  at  them  as  if  I  could  n't  bear  them  out  of  my  sight 
for  a  moment,"  said  Kate,  whisking  herself  out  of  the 
room.  "  They  're  conceited  enough,  Heaven  knows,  al- 
ready." 

That  evening,  at  dinner,  however,  the  two  men  exhibited 
no  trace  of  the  restraint  or  uneasiness  of  the  previous  day. 
If  they  were  less  impulsive  and  exuberant,  they  were  still 
frank  and  interested,  and  if  the  term  could  be  used  in 
connection  with  men  apparently  trained  to  neither  self-con- 


SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S  233 

trol  nor  repose,  there  was  a  certain  gentle  dignity  in  their 
manner  which  for  the  time  had  the  effect  of  lifting  them  a 
little  above  the  social  level  of  their  entertainers.  For  even 
with  all  their  predisposition  to  the  strangers,  Kate  and  Mrs. 
Hale  had  always  retained  a  conscious  attitude  of  gentle  con- 
descension and  superiority  towards  them  —  an  attitude  not 
inconsistent  with  a  stronger  feeling,  nor  altogether  unprovo- 
cative  of  it ;  yet  this  evening  they  found  themselves  im- 
pressed with  something  more  than  an  equality  in  the  men 
who  had  amused  and  interested  them,  and  they  were  per- 
haps a  little  more  critical  and  doubtful  of  their  own  power. 
Mrs.  Hale's  little  girl,  who  had  appreciated  only  the  seri- 
ousness of  the  situation,  had  made  her  own  application  of  it. 
"  Are  you  dow'in'  away  from  aunt  Kate  and  mamma  ?  " 
she  asked  in  an  interval  of  silence. 

"  How  else  can  I  get  you  the  red  snow  we  saw  at  sun- 
set, the  other  day,  on  the  peak  yonder  ? "  said  Lee  gayly. 
"  I  Jll  have  to  get  up  some  morning  very  early,  and  catch  it 
when  it  comes  at  sunrise." 

"What  is  this  wonderful  snow,  Minnie,  that  you  are 
tormenting  Mr.  Lee  for  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Hale. 

"  Oh !  it 's  a  fairy  snow  that  he  told  me  all  about ;  it  only 
comes  when  the  sun  comes  up  and  goes  down,  and  if  you 
catch  ever  so  little  of  it  in  your  hand  it  makes  all  you  fink 
you  want  come  true  !  Would  n't  that  be  nice  ?  "  But  to 
the  child's  astonishment  her  little  circle  of  auditors,  even 
while  assenting,  sighed. 

The  red  snow  was  there  plain  enough  the  next  morning 
before  the  valley  was  warm  with  light,  and  while  Minnie, 
her  mother,  and  aunt  Kate  were  still  peacefully  sleeping. 
And  Mr.  Lee  had  kept  his  word,  and  was  evidently  seeking 
it,  for  he  and  Falkner  were  already  urging  their  horses 
through  the  pass,  with  their  faces  towards  and  lit  up  by  its 
glow. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

KATE  was  stirring  early,  but  not  as  early  as  her  sister,  who 
met  her  on  the  threshold  of  her  room.  Her  face  was  quite 
pale,  and  she  held  a  letter  in  her  hand.  "  What  does  this 
mean,  Kate  ?  " 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  asked  Kate,  her  own  color  fad- 
ing from  her  cheek. 

"  They  are  gone  —  with  their  horses.  Left  before  day, 
and  left  this." 

She  handed  Kate  an  open  letter.  The  girl  took  it  hur- 
riedly, and  read  :  — 

When  you  get  this  we  shall  be  no  more  ;  perhaps  not  even 
as  much.  Ned  found  the  trail  yesterday,  and  we  are  taking 
the  first  advantage  of  it  before  day.  We  dared  not  trust 
ourselves  to  say  "  Good-by  ! "  last  evening  ;  we  were  too 
cowardly  to  face  you  this  morning ;  we  must  go  as  we  came, 
without  warning,  but  not  without  regret.  We  leave  a 
package  and  a  letter  for  your  husband.  It  is  not  only  our 
poor  return  for  your  gentleness  and  hospitality,  but,  since  it 
was  accidentally  the  means  of  giving  us  the  pleasure  of 
your  society,  we  beg  you  to  keep  it  in  safety  until  his  re- 
turn. We  kiss  your  mother's  hands.  Ned  wants  to  say 
something  more,  but  time  presses,  and  I  only  allow  him  to 
send  his  love  to  Minnie,  and  to  tell  her  that  he  is  trying  to 
find  the  red  snow. 

GEORGE  LEE. 

"  But  he  is  not  fit  to  travel/7  said  Mrs.  Hale.  "  And 
the  trail  —  it  may  not  be  passable." 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  235 

"  It  was  passable  the  day  before  yesterday/'  said  Kate 
drearily,  "  for  I  discovered  it,  and  went  as  far  as  the  buck- 
eyes." 

"  Then  it  was  you  who  told  them  about  it,"  said  Mrs, 
Hale  reproachfully. 

"No,"  said  Kate  indignantly.  "  Of  course  I  didn't." 
She  stopped,  and,  reading  the  significance  of  her  speech  in 
the  glistening  eyes  of  her  sister,  she  blushed.  Josephine 
kissed  her,  and  said  :  — 

"It  was  treating  us  like  children,  Kate,  but  we  must 
make  them  pay  for  it  hereafter.  For  that  package  and  letter 
to  John  means  something,  and  we  shall  probably  see  them 
before  long.  I  wonder  what  the  letter  is  about,  and  what 
is  in  the  package  ?  " 

"  Probably  one  of  Mr.  Lee's  jokes.  He  is  quite  capable 
of  turning  the  whole  thing  into  ridicule.  I  dare  say  he 
considers  his  visit  here  a  prolonged  jest." 

"  With  his  poor  leg,  Kate  ?  You  are  as  unfair  to  him 
as  you  were  to  Falkner  when  they  first  came." 

Kate,  however,  kept  her  dark  eyebrows  knitted  in  a 
piquant  frown. 

"  To  think  of  his  intimating  what  he  would  allow  Falkner 
to  say  !  And  yet  you  believe  he  has  no  evil  influence  over 
the  young  man." 

Mrs.  Hale  laughed.  "Where  are  you  going  so  fast, 
Kate  ?  "  she  called  mischievously,  as  the  young  lady  flounced 
out  of  the  room. 

"  Where  ?  Why,  to  tidy  John's  room.  He  may  be 
coming  at  any  moment  now.  Or  do  you  want  to  do  it 
yourself  ?  " 

"No,  no,"  returned  Mrs.  Hale  hurriedly;  "you  do  it. 
I  '11  look  in  a  little  later  on." 

She  turned  away  with  a  sigh.  The  sun  was  shining 
brilliantly  outside.  Through  the  half-open  blinds  its  long 
shafts  seemed  to  be  searching  the  house  for  the  lost  guests, 


236  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

and  making  the  hollow  shell  appear  doubly  empty.  What 
a  contrast  to  the  dear  dark  days  of  mysterious  seclusion  and 
delicious  security,  lit  by  Lee's  laughter  and  the  sparkling 
hearth,  which  had  passed  so  quickly !  The  forgotten  outer 
world  seemed  to  have  returned  to  the  house  through  those 
open  windows  and  awakened  its  dwellers  from  a  dream. 

The  morning  seemed  interminable,  and  it  was  past  noon, 
while  they  were  deep  in  a  sympathetic  conference  with  Mrs. 
Scott,  who  had  drawn  a  pathetic  word-picture  of  the  two 
friends  perishing  in  the  snow-drift,  without  flannels,  brandy, 
smelling-salts,  or  jelly,  which  they  had  forgotten,  when  they 
were  startled  by  the  loud  barking  of  Spot  on  the  lawn 
before  the  house.  The  women  looked  hurriedly  at  each 
other. 

"  They  have  returned,"  said  Mrs.  Hale. 

Kate  ran  to  the  window.  A  horseman  was  approaching 
the  house.  A  single  glance  showed  her  that  it  was  neither 
Falkner,  Lee,  nor  Hale,  but  a  stranger. 

"  Perhaps  he  brings  some  news  of  them,"  said  Mrs.  Scott 
quickly.  So  complete  had  been  their  preoccupation  with 
the  loss  of  their  guests  that  they  could  not  yet  conceive  of 
anything  that  did  not  pertain  to  it. 

The  stranger,  who  was  at  once  ushered  into  the  parlor, 
was  evidently  disconcerted  by  the  presence  of  the  three 
women. 

"  I  reckoned  to  see  John  Hale  yer,"  he  began  awkwardly. 

A  slight  look  of  disappointment  passed  over  their  faces. 
"  He  has  not  yet  returned,"  said  Mrs.  Hale  briefly. 

"  Sho  !  I  wanter  know.  He 's  hed  time  to  do  it,  I 
reckon,"  said  the  stranger. 

"  I  suppose  he  has  n't  been  able  to  get  over  from  the 
Summit,"  returned  Mrs.  Hale.  "  The  trail  is  closed." 

"  It  ain't  now,  for  I  kem  over  it  this  mornin'  myself." 

"  You  did  n't  —  meet  —  any  one  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Hale 
timidly,  with  a  glance  at  the  others. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT   EAGLE'S  237 

"  No." 

A  long  silence  ensued.  The  unfortunate  visitor  plainly 
perceived  an  evident  abatement  of  interest  in  himself,  yet 
he  still  struggled  politely  to  say  something.  "Then  I 
reckon  you  know  what  kept  Hale  away  ?  "  he  said  dubi- 
ously. 

"  Oh,  certainly  —  the  stage  robbery." 

"  I  wish  I  'd  known  that,"  said  the  stranger  reflectively, 
"  for  I  ez  good  ez  rode  over  jist  to  tell  it  to  ye.  Ye  see, 
John  Hale,  he  sent  a  note  to  ye  'splainin'  matters  by  a 
gentleman  ;  but  the  road  agents  tackled  that  man,  and  left 
him  for  dead  in  the  road." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Hale  impatiently. 

"  Luckily  he  did  n't  die,  but  kern  to,  and  managed  to 
crawl  inter  the  brush,  whar  I  found  him  when  I  was 
lookin'  for  stock,  and  brought  him  to  my  house  "  — 

"  You  found  him  ?  Your  house  ?  "  interrupted  Mrs. 
Hale. 

"  Inter  my  house,"  continued  the  man  doggedly.  "  I  'm 
Thompson  of  Thompson's  Pass  over  yon  ;  mebbe  it  ain't 
much  of  a  house ;  but  I  brought  him  thar.  Well,  ez  he 
could  n't  find  the  note  that  Hale  had  guv  him,  and  like  ez 
not  the  road  agents  had  gone  through  him  and  got  it,  ez 
soon  ez  the  weather  let  up  I  made  a  break  over  yer  to  tell 

ye." 

"  You  say  Mr.  Lee  came  to  your  house,"  repeated  Mrs. 
Hale,  "  and  is  there  now  ?  " 

"  Not  much,"  said  the  man  grimly  ;  "  and  I  never  said 
Lee  was  thar.  I  mean  that  Bilson  waz  shot  by  Lee  and 
kern"  — 

"  Certainly,  Josephine  !  "  said  Kate,  suddenly  stepping 
between  her  sister  and  Thompson,  and  turning  upon  her  a 
white  face  and  eyes  of  silencing  significance  ;  "  certainly  — 
don't  you  remember?  —  that's  the  story  we  got  from  the 
Chinaman,  you  know,  only  muddled.  Go  on,  sir,"  she 


238  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 

continued,  turning  to  Thompson  calmly  ;  "  you  say  that 
the  man  who  brought  the  note  from  my  brother  was  shot 
by  Lee  ?  " 

"  And  another  fellow  they  call  Falkner.  Yes,  that 's 
about  the  size  of  it." 

"  Thank  you ;  it 's  nearly  the  same  story  that  we  heard. 
But  you  have  had  a  long  ride,  Mr.  Thompson  j  let  me  offer 
you  a  glass  of  whiskey  in  the  dining-room.  This  way, 
please." 

The  door  closed  upon  them  none  too  soon.  For  Mrs. 
Hale  already  felt  the  room  whirling  around  her,  and  sank 
back  into  her  chair  with  a  hysterical  laugh.  Old  Mrs. 
Scott  did  not  move  from  her  seat,  but,  with  her  eyes  fixed 
on  the  door,  impatiently  waited  Kate's  return.  Neither 
spoke,  but  each  felt  that  the  young,  untried  girl  was  equal 
to  the  emergency,  and  would  get  at  the  truth. 

The  sound  of  Thompson's  feet  in  the  hall  and  the  clos- 
ing of  the  front  door  was  followed  by  Kate's  reappearance. 
Her  face  was  still  pale,  but  calm. 

"  Well  ?  "  said  the  two  women  in  a  breath. 

"  Well,"  returned  Kate  slowly ;  "  Mr.  Lee  and  Mr. 
Falkner  were  undoubtedly  the  two  men  who  took  the 
paper  from  John's  messenger  and  brought  it  here." 

"  You  are  sure  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Scott. 

"  There  can  be  no  mistake,  mother." 

(( Then,"  said  Mrs.  Scott,  with  triumphant  feminine 
logic,  "  I  don't  want  anything  more  to  satisfy  me  that  they 
are  perfectly  innocent  !  " 

More  convincing  than  the  most  perfect  masculine  deduc- 
tion, this  single  expression  of  their  common  nature  sent  a 
thrill  of  sympathy  and  understanding  through  each.  They 
cried  for  a  few  moments  on  each  other's  shoulders.  "  To 
think,"  said  Mrs.  Scott,  "  what  that  poor  boy  must  have 
suffered  to  have  been  obliged  to  do  —  that  to  —  to  — 
Bilson  —  is  n't  that  the  creature's  name  ?  I  suppose  we 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  239 

ought  to  send  over  there  and  inquire  after  him,  with  some 
chicken  and  jelly,  Kate.  It's  only  common  humanity, 
and  we  must  be  just,  my  dear;  for  even  if  he  shot  Mr. 
Lee  and  provoked  the  poor  boy  to  shoot  him,  he  may 
have  thought  it  his  duty.  And  then,  it  will  avert  suspi- 
cions." 

"  To  think,"  murmured  Mrs.  Hale,  "  what  they  must 
have  gone  through  while  they  were  here  —  momentarily 
expecting  John  to  come,  and  yet  keeping  up  such  a  light 
heart." 

"  I  believe,  if  they  had  stayed  longer,  they  would  have 
told  us  everything,"  said  Mrs.  Scott. 

Both  the  younger  women  were  silent.  Kate  was  thinking 
of  Falkner's  significant  speech  as  they  neared  the  house  on 
their  last  walk  ;  Josephine  was  recalling  the  remorseful 
picture  drawn  by  Lee,  which  she  knew  was  his  own  portrait. 
Suddenly  she  started. 

"  But  John  will  be  here  soon  ;  what  are  we  to  tell  him  ? 
And  then  that  package  and  that  letter." 

"  Don't  be  in  a  hurry  to  tell  him  anything  at  present,  my 
child,"  said  Mrs.  Scott  gently.  "  It  is  unfortunate  this 
Mr.  Thompson  called  here,  but  we  are  not  obliged  to  under- 
stand what  he  says  now  about  John's  message,  or  to  connect 
our  visitors  with  his  story.  I  'm  sure,  Kate,  I  should  have 
treated  them  exactly  as  we  did  if  they  had  come  without 
any  message  from  John  ;  so  I  do  not  know  why  we  should 
lay  any  stress  on  that,  or  even  speak  of  it.  The  simple  fact 
is  that  we  have  opened  our  house  to  the  strangers  in  dis- 
tress. Your  husband,"  continued  Mr.  Hale's  mother-in-law, 
"  does  not  require  to  know  more.  As  to  the  letter  and 
package,  we  will  keep  that  for  further  consideration.  It 
cannot  be  of  much  importance,  or  they  would  have  spoken 
of  it  before ;  it  is  probably  some  trifling  present  as  a  return 
for  your  hospitality.  I  should  use  no  indecorous  haste  in 
having  it  opened." 


240  SNOW-BOUND   AT   EAGLE'S 

The  two  women  kissed  Mrs.  Scott  with  a  feeling  of  re- 
lief, and  fell  back  into  the  monotony  of  their  household 
duties.  It  is  to  be  feared,  however,  that  the  absence  of 
their  outlawed  guests  was  nearly  as  dangerous  as  their  pre- 
sence in  the  opportunity  it  afforded  for  uninterrupted  and 
imaginative  reflection.  Both  Kate  and  Josephine  were  at 
first  shocked  and  wounded  by  the  discovery  of  the  real 
character  of  the  two  men  with  whom  they  had  associated  so 
familiarly,  but  it  was  no  disparagement  to  their  sense  of 
propriety  to  say  that  the  shock  did  not  last  long,  and  was 
accompanied  with  the  fascination  of  danger.  This  was  suc- 
ceeded by  a  consciousness  of  the  delicate  flattery  implied  in 
their  indirect  influence  over  the  men  who  had  undoubtedly 
risked  their  lives  for  the  sake  of  remaining  with  them.  The 
best  woman  is  not  above  being  touched  by  the  effect  of  her 
power  over  the  worst  man,  and  Kate  at  first  allowed  herself  to 
think  of  Falkner  in  that  light.  But  if  in  her  later  reflections 
he  suffered  as  a  heroic  experience  to  be  forgotten,  he  gained 
something  as  an  actual  man  to  be  remembered.  Now  that 
the  proposed  rides  from  "  his  friend's  house  "  were  a  part 
of  the  illusion,  would  he  ever  dare  to  visit  them  again  ? 
Would  she  dare  to  see  him  ?  She  held  her  breath  with  a 
sudden  pain  of  parting  that  was  new  to  her ;  she  tried  to 
think  of  something  else,  to  pick  up  the  scattered  threads  of 
her  life  before  that  eventful  day.  But  in  vain  ;  that  one 
week  had  filled  the  place  with  implacable  memories,  or  more 
terrible,  as  it  seemed  to  her  and  her  sister,  they  had  both 
lost  their  feeble,  alien  hold  upon  Eagle's  Court  in  the  sudden 
presence  of  the  real  genii  of  these  solitudes,  and  henceforth 
they  alone  would  be  strangers  there.  They  scarcely  dared 
to  confess  it  to  each  other,  but  this  return  to  the  dazzling 
sunlight  and  cloudless  skies  of  the  past  appeared  to  them  to 
be  the  one  unreal  experience  ;  they  had  never  known  the 
true  wild  flavor  of  their  home,  except  in  that  week  of  deli- 
cious isolation.  Without  breathing  it  aloud,  they  longed 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  241 

for  some  vague  denouement  to  this  experience  that  should 
take  them  from  Eagle's  Court  forever. 

It  was  noon  the  next  day  when  the  little  household  be- 
held the  last  shred  of  their  illusion  vanish  like  the  melt- 
ing snow  in  the  strong  sunlight  of  John  Hale's  return. 
He  was  accompanied  by  Colonel  Clinch  and  Bawlins,  two 
strangers  to  the  women.  Was  it  fancy,  or  the  avenging 
spirit  of  their  absent  companions  ?  but  he  too  looked  a 
stranger,  and  as  the  little  cavalcade  wound  its  way  up  the 
slope  he  appeared  to  sit  his  horse  and  wear  his  hat  with 
a  certain  slouch  and  absence  of  his  usual  restraint  that 
strangely  shocked  them.  Even  the  old  half-condescending, 
half-punctilious  gallantry  of  his  greeting  of  his  wife  and 
family  was  changed,  as  he  introduced  his  companions  with 
a  mingling  of  familiarity  and  shyness  that  was  new  to  him. 
Did  Mrs.  Hale  regret  it,  or  feel  a  sense  of  relief  in  the  ab- 
sence of  his  usual  seignorial  formality  ?  She  only  knew 
that  she  was  grateful  for  the  presence  of  the  strangers, 
which  for  the  moment  postponed  a  matrimonial  confidence 
from  which  she  shrunk. 

"  Proud  to  know  you,"  said  Colonel  Clinch,  with  a  sud- 
den outbreak  of  the  antique  gallantry  of  some  remote  Hu- 
guenot ancestor.  "My  friend,  Judge  Hale,  must  be  a 
regular  Koman  citizen  to  leave  such  a  family  and  such 
a  house  at  the  call  of  public  duty.  Eh,  Rawlins  ?  " 

"  You  bet,"  said  Kawlins,  looking  from  Kate  to  her  sis- 
ter in  undisguised  admiration. 

"  And  I  suppose  the  duty  could  not  have  been  a  very 
pleasant  one,"  said  Mrs.  Hale  timidly,  without  looking  at 
her  husband. 

"  Gad,  madam,  that 's  just  it,"  said  the  gallant  Colonel, 
seating  himself  with  a  comfortable  air,  and  an  easy,  though 
by  no  means  disrespectful  familiarity.  "We  went  into 
this  fight  a  little  more  than  a  week  ago.  The  only  scrim- 
mage we  Jve  had  has  been  with  the  detectives  that  were  on 


242  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

the  robbers'  track.  Ha  !  ha  !  The  best  people  we  've  met 
have  been  the  friends  of  the  men  we  were  huntin',  and 
we  've  generally  come  to  the  conclusion  to  vote  the  other 
ticket !  Ez  Judge  Hale  and  me  agreed  ez  we  came  along, 
the  two  men  ez  we  'd  most  like  to  see  just  now  and  shake 
hands  with  are  George  Lee  and  Ned  Falkner." 

"  The  two  leaders  of  the  party  who  robbed  the  coach," 
explained  Mr.  Hale,  with  a  slight  return  of  his  usual  pre- 
cision of  statement. 

The  three  women  looked  at  each  other  with  a  blaze  of 
thanksgiving  in  their  grateful  eyes.  Without  comprehend- 
ing all  that  Colonel  Clinch  had  said,  they  understood  enough 
to  know  that  their  late  guests  were  safe  from  the  pursuit 
of  that  party,  and  that  their  own  conduct  was  spared  criti- 
cism. I  hardly  dare  write  it,  but  they  instantly  assumed 
the  appearance  of  aggrieved  martyrs,  and  felt  as  if  they 
were  ! 

"  Yes,  ladies ! "  continued  the  Colonel,  inspired  by  the 
bright  eyes  fixed  upon  him.  "  We  have  n't  taken  the  read 
ourselves  yet,  but  —  pohn  honor  —  we  would  n't  mind 
doing  it  in  a  case  like  this."  Then  with  the  fluent,  but 
somewhat  exaggerated  phraseology  of  a  man  trained  to 
"  stump  "  speaking,  he  gave  an  account  of  the  robbery  and 
his  own  connection  with  it.  He  spoke  of  the  swindling 
and  treachery  which  had  undoubtedly  provoked  Falkner  to 
obtain  restitution  of  his  property  by  an  overt  act  of  violence 
under  the  leadership  of  Lee.  He  added  that  he  had  learned 
since  at  Wild  Cat  Station  that  Harkins  had  fled  the  coun- 
try, that  a  suit  had  been  commenced  by  the  Excelsior 
Ditch  Company,  and  that  all  available  property  of  Harkins 
had  been  seized  by  the  sheriff. 

"  Of  course  it  can't  be  proved  yet,  but  there  's  no  doubt 
in  my  mind  that  Lee,  who  is  an  old  friend  of  Ned  Falk- 
ner's,  got  up  that  job  to  help  him,  and  that  Ned 's  off  with 
the  money  by  this  time  —  and  I  'm  right  glad  of  it.  I 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  243 

can't  say  ez  we  've  done  much  towards  it,  except  to  keep 
tumbling  in  the  way  of  that  detective  party  of  Stanner's, 
and  so  throw  them  off  the  trail  —  ha,  ha  !  The  Judge 
here,  I  reckon,  has  had  his  share  of  fun,  for  while  he  was 
at  Hennicker's  trying  to  get  some  facts  from  Hennicker's 
pretty  daughter,  Stanner  tried  to  get  up  some  sort  of  vigi- 
lance committee  of  the  stage  passengers  to  burn  down  Hen- 
nicker's ranch  out  of  spite,  but  the  Judge  here  stepped  in 
and  stopped  that." 

"  It  was  really  a  high-handed  proceeding,  Josephine,  but 
I  managed  to  check  it,"  said  Hale,  meeting  somewhat  con- 
sciously the  first  direct  look  his  wife  had  cast  upon  him, 
and  falling  back  for  support  on  his  old  manner.  "  In  its 
way,  I  think  it  was  worse  than  the  robbery  by  Lee  and 
Falkner,  for  it  was  done  in  the  name  of  law  and  order ; 
while,  as  far  as  I  can  judge  from  the  facts,  the  affair  that 
we  were  following  up  was  simply  a  rude  and  irregular 
restitution  of  property  that  had  been  morally  stolen." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  you  did  quite  right,  though  I  don't 
understand  it,"  said  Mrs.  Hale  languidly ;  "  but  I  trust 
these  gentlemen  will  stay  to  luncheon,  and  in  the  mean 
time  excuse  us  for  running  away,  as  we  are  short  of  ser- 
vants, and  Manuel  seems  to  have  followed  the  example  of 
the  head  of  the  house  and  left  us,  in  pursuit  of  somebody 
or  something." 

When  the  three  women  had  gained  the  vantage-ground 
of  the  drawing-room,  Kate  said  earnestly,  "  As  it 's  all 
right,  had  n't  we  better  tell  him  now  ?  " 

"Decidedly  not,  child,"  said  Mrs.  Scott  imperatively. 
"  Do  you  suppose  they  are  in  a  hurry  to  tell  us  their  whole 
story  ?  Who  are  those  Hennicker  people  ?  and  they  were 
there  a  week  ago  !  " 

"  And  did  you  notice  John's  hat  when  he  came  in,  and 
the  vulgar  familiarity  of  calling  him  '  Judge '  ?  "  said  Mrs. 
Hals. 


244  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 

"Well,  certainly  anything  like  the  familiarity  of  this 
man  Clinch  /  never  saw/7  said  Kate.  "  Contrast  his  man- 
ner with  Mr.  Falkner's." 

At  luncheon  the  three  suffering  martyrs  finally  succeeded 
in  reducing  Hale  and  his  two  friends  to  an  attitude  of 
vague  apology.  But  their  triumph  was  short-lived.  At 
the  end  of  the  meal  they  were  startled  by  the  trampling  of 
hoofs  without,  followed  by  loud  knocking.  In  another 
moment  the  door  was  opened,  and  Mr.  Stanner  strode  into 
the  room.  Hale  rose  with  a  look  of  indignation. 

"  I  thought,  as  Mr.  Stanner  understood  that  I  had  no 
desire  for  his  company  elsewhere,  he  would  hardly  venture 
to  intrude  upon  me  in  my  house,  and  certainly  not 
after  »- 

"  Ef  you  ?re  alluding  to  the  Vigilantes  shakin'  you  and 
Zeenie  up  at  Hennicker's,  you  can't  make  me  responsible 
for  that.  I  'm  here  now  on  business  —  you  understand  — 
reg'lar  business.  Ef  you  want  to  see  the  papers  yer  ken. 
I  suppose  you  know  what  a  warrant  is  ?  " 

"  I  know  what  you  are,"  said  Hale  hotly ;  "and  if  you 
don't  leave  my  house  "  • — 

"  Steady,  boys,"  interrupted  Stanner,  as  his  five  hench- 
men filed  into  the  hall.  "  There  Js  no  backin'  down  here, 
Colonel  Clinch,  unless  you  and  Hale  kalkilate  to  back 
down  the  State  of  Californy  !  The  matter  stands  like  this. 
There 's  a  half-breed  Mexican,  called  Manuel,  arrested  over 
at  the  Summit,  who  swears  he  saw  George  Lee  and  Edward 
Falkner  in  this  house  the  night  after  the  robbery.  He 
says  that  they  were  makin'  themselves  at  home  here,  as  if 
they  were  among  friends,  and  considerin'  the  kind  of  help 
we  've  had  from  Mr.  John  Hale,  it  looks  ez  if  it  might  be 
true." 

"  It 's  an  infamous  lie  ! "  said  Hale. 

"  It  may  be  true,  John,"  said  Mrs.  Scott,  suddenly  step- 
ping in  front  of  her  pale-cheeked  daughters.  "  A  wounded 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S  245 

man  was  brought  here  out  of  the  storm  by  his  friend,  who 
claimed  the  shelter  of  your  roof.  As  your  mother  I  should 
have  been  unworthy  to  stay  beneath  it  and  have  denied 
that  shelter  or  withheld  it  until  I  knew  his  name  and  what 
he  was.  He  stayed  here  until  he  could  be  removed.  He 
left  a  letter  for  you.  It  will  probably  tell  you  if  he  was 
the  man  this  person  is  seeking." 

"  Thank  you,  mother,"  said  Hale,  lifting  her  hand  to  his 
lips  quietly  ;  "  and  perhaps  you  will  kindly  tell  these  gen- 
tlemen that,  as  your  son  does  not  care  to  know  who  or  what 
the  stranger  was,  there  is  no  necessity  for  opening  the  let- 
ter, or  keeping  Mr.  Stanner  a  moment  longer." 

"But  you  will  oblige  me,  John,  by  opening  it  before 
these  gentlemen,"  said  Mrs.  Hale,  recovering  her  voice  and 
color.  "Please  to  follow  me,"  she  said,  preceding  them  to 
the  staircase. 

They  entered  Mr.  Hale's  room,  now  restored  to  its  origi- 
nal condition.  On  the  table  lay  a  letter  and  a  small  pack- 
age. The  eyes  of  Mr.  Stanner,  a  little  abashed  by  the 
attitude  of  the  two  women,  fastened  upon  it  and  glistened. 

Josephine  handed  her  husband  the  letter.  He  opened  it 
in  breathless  silence  and  read  :  — 

JOHN  HALE,  —  We  owe  you  no  return  for  voluntarily 
making  yourself  a  champion  of  justice  and  pursuing  us,  ex- 
cept it  was  to  offer  you  a  fair  field  and  no  favor.  We  did  n't 
get  that  much  from  you,  but  accident  brought  us  into  your 
house  and  into  your  family,  where  we  did  get  it,  and  were 
fairly  vanquished.  To  the  victors  belong  the  spoils.  We 
leave  the  package  of  greenbacks  which  we  took  from  Colonel 
Clinch  in  the  Sierra  coach,  but  which  was  first  stolen  by 
Harkins  from  forty-four  shareholders  of  the  Excelsior  Ditch. 
We  have  no  right  to  say  what  you  should  do  with  it,  but  if 
you  are  n't  tired  of  following  the  same  line  of  justice  that 
induced  you  to  run  after  uSj  you  will  try  to  restore  it  to  its 
rightful  owners. 


246  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S 

We  leave  you  another  trifle  as  an  evidence  that  our  in- 
trusion into  your  affairs  was  not  without  some  service  to 
you,  even  if  the  service  was  as  accidental  as  the  intrusion. 
You  will  find  a  pair  of  boots  in  the  corner  of  your  closet. 
They  were  taken  from  the  burglarious  feet  of  Manuel,  your 
peon,  who,  believing  the  three  ladies  were  alone  and  at  his 
mercy,  entered  your  house  with  an  accomplice  at  two  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  the  21st,  and  was  kicked  out  by 
Your  obedient  servants, 

GEORGE  LEE  &  EDWAKD  FALKNER. 

Hale's  voice  and  color  changed  on  reading  this  last  para- 
graph. He  turned  quickly  towards  his  wife  ;  Kate  flew 
to  the  closet,  where  the  muffled  boots  of  Manuel  confronted 
them.  "  We  never  knew  it.  I  always  suspected  some- 
thing that  night,"  said  Mrs.  Hale  and  Mrs.  Scott  in  the 
same  breath. 

"  That 's  all  very  well,  and  like  George  Lee's  highfalu- 
tin',"  said  Stanner,  approaching  the  table,  "  but  as  long  ez 
the  greenbacks  are  here  he  can  make  what  capital  he  likes 
outer  Manuel.  I'll  trouble  you  to  pass  over  that  package." 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  Hale,  "  but  I  believe  this  is  the  pack- 
age taken  from  Colonel  Clinch.  Is  it  not  ?  "  he  added, 
appealing  to  the  Colonel. 

"  It  is,"  said  Clinch. 

"Then  take  it,"  said  Hale,  handing  him  the  package. 
"  The  first  restitution  is  to  you,  but  I  believe  you  will  fulfill 
Lee's  instructions  as  well  as  myself." 

"  But,"  said  Stanner,  furiously  interposing,  "  I  've  a  war- 
rant to  seize  that  wherever  found,  and  I  dare  you  to  disobey 
the  law." 

"  Mr.  Stanner,"  said  Clinch  slowly,  "  there  are  ladies 
present.  If  you  insist  upon  having  that  package  I  must 
ask  them  to  withdraw,  and  I  'm  afraid  you  '11  find  me  better 
prepared  to  resist  a  second  robbery  than  I  was  the  first. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S  247 

Your  warrant,  which  was  taken  out  by  the  Express  Com- 
pany, is  supplanted  by  civil  proceedings  taken  the  day 
before  yesterday  against  the  property  of  the  fugitive  swin- 
dler Harkins  !  You  should  have  consulted  the  sheriff  before 
you  came  here." 

Stanner  saw  his  mistake.  But  in  the  faces  of  his  grin- 
ning followers  he  was  obliged  to  keep  up  his  bluster. 
"  You  shall  hear  from  me  again,  sir/'  he  said,  turning  on 
his  heel. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Clinch  grimly,  "  but  do  I 
understand  that  at  last  I  am  to  have  the  honor  "  — 

"  You  shall  hear  from  the  Company's  lawyers,  sir,"  said 
Stanner,  turning  red,  and  noisily  leaving  the  room. 

"And  so,  my  dear  ladies,"  said  Colonel  Clinch,  "you 
have  spent  a  week  with  a  highwayman.  I  say  a  highway- 
man, for  it  would  be  hard  to  call  my  young  friend  Falkner 
by  that  name  for  his  first  offense,  committed  under  great 
provocation,  and  undoubtedly  instigated  by  Lee,  who  was 
an  old  friend  of  his,  and  to  whom  he  came,  no  doubt,  in 
desperation." 

Kate  stole  a  triumphant  glance  at  her  sister,  who  dropped 
her  lids  over  her  glistening  eyes.  "  And  this  Mr.  Lee," 
she  continued  more  gently,  "  is  he  really  a  highwayman  ?  " 

"  George  Lee,"  said  Clinch,  settling  himself  back  orator- 
ically  in  his  chair,  "  my  dear  young  lady,  is  a  highwayman, 
but  not  of  the  common  sort.  He  is  a  gentleman  born, 
madam,  comes  from  one  of  the  oldest  families  of  the  East- 
ern Shore  of  Maryland.  He  never  mixes  himself  up  with 
anything  but  some  of  the  biggest  strikes,  and  he  Js  an 
educated  man.  He  is  very  popular  with  ladies  and  chil- 
dren ;  he  was  never  known  to  do  or  say  anything  that  could 
bring  a  blush  to  the  cheek  of  beauty  or  a  tear  to  the  eye  of 
innocence.  I  think  I  may  say  I  'm  sure  you  found  him  so." 

"  I  shall  never  believe  him  anything  but  a  gentleman," 
said  Mrs.  Scott  firmly. 


248  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 

"  If  he  has  a  defect,  it  is  perhaps  a  too  reckless  indul- 
gence in  draw-poker,"  said  the  Colonel  musingly ;  "  not 
unbecoming  a  gentleman,  understand  me,  Mrs.  Scott,  but 
perhaps  too  reckless  for  his  own  good.  George  played  a 
grand  game,  a  glittering  game,  but  pardon  me  if  I  say  an 
uncertain  game.  I  've  told  him  so  ;  it  's  the  only  point  on 
which  we  ever  differed." 

"  Then  you  know  him  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Hale,  lifting  her  soft 
eyes  to  the  Colonel. 

"  I  have  that  honor." 

"  Did  his  appearance,  Josephine,"  broke  in  Hale,  some- 
what ostentatiously,  "  appear  to  —  er  —  er  —  correspond 
with  these  qualities  ?  You  know  what  I  mean." 

"  He  certainly  seemed  very  simple  and  natural,"  said 
Mrs.  Hale,  slightly  drawing  her  pretty  lips  together.  "  He 
did  not  wear  his  trousers  rolled  up  over  his  boots  in  the 
company  of  ladies,  as  you  're  doing  now,  nor  did  he  make 
his  first  appearance  in  this  house  with  such  a  hat  as  you 
wore  this  morning,  or  I  should  not  have  admitted  him." 

There  were  a  few  moments  of  embarrassing  silence. 

"Do  you  intend  to  give  that  package  to  Mr.  Falkner 
yourself,  Colonel  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Scott. 

"  I  shall  hand  it  over  to  the  Excelsior  Company,"  said 
the  Colonel,  "  but  I  shall  inform  Ned  of  what  I  have  done." 

"  Then,"  said  Mrs.  Scott  "  will  you  kindly  take  a  mes- 
sage from  us  to  him  ?  " 

"  If  you  wish  it." 

"You  will  be  doing  me  a  great  favor,  Colonel,"  said 
Hale  politely. 

Whatever  the  message  was,  six  months  later  it  brought 
Edward  Falkner,  the  reestablished  superintendent  of  the 
Excelsior  Ditch,  to  Eagle's  Court.  As  he  and  Kate  stood 
again  on  the  plateau,  looking  towards  the  distant  slopes 
once  more  green  with  verdure,  Falkner  said  :  — 


SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S  249 

"  Everything  here  looks  as  it  did  the  first  day  I  saw  it, 
except  your  sister." 

"  The  place  does  not  agree  with  her/7  said  Kate  hur- 
riedly. "  That  is  why  my  brother  thinks  of  leaving  it  be- 
fore the  winter  sets  in." 

"  It  seems  so  sad,"  said  Falkner,  "  for  the  last  words 
poor  George  said  to  me,  as  he  left  to  join  his  cousin's  corps 
at  Richmond,  were  :  '  If  I  'm  not  killed,  Ned,  I  hope  some 
day  to  stand  again  beside  Mrs.  Hale,  at  the  window  in 
Eagle's  Court,  and  watch  you  and  Kate  coming  home  ! '  " 


A  MILLIONAIKE  OF  KOUGH-AND-KEADY 
PROLOGUE 

THERE  was  no  mistake  this  time  :  he  had  struck  gold  at 
last! 

It  had  lain  there  before  him  a  moment  ago  —  a  mis- 
shapen piece  of  brown-stained  quartz,  interspersed  with  dull 
yellow  metal ;  yielding  enough  to  have  allowed  the  points 
of  his  pick  to  penetrate  its  honeycombed  recesses,  yet  heavy 
enough  to  drop  from  the  point  of  his  pick  as  he  endeavored 
to  lift  it  from  the  red  earth. 

He  was  seeing  all  this  plainly,  although  he  found  him- 
self, he  knew  not  why,  at  some  distance  from  the  scene  of 
his  discovery,  his  heart  foolishly  beating,  his  breath  impo- 
tently  hurried.  Yet  he  was  walking  slowly  and  vaguely  ; 
conscious  of  stopping  and  staring  at  the  landscape,  which 
no  longer  looked  familiar  to  him.  He  was  hoping  for  some 
instinct  or  force  of  habit  to  recall  him  to  himself ;  yet  when 
he  saw  a  neighbor  at  work  in  an  adjacent  claim,  he  hesi- 
tated, and  then  turned  his  back  upon  him.  Yet  only  a  mo- 
ment before  he  had  thought  of  running  to  him,  saying, 
"  By  Jingo  !  I  've  struck  it,"  or  "  D — n  it,  old  man,  I  ?ve 
got  it ;  "  but  that  moment  had  passed,  and  now  it  seemed  to 
him  that  he  could  scarce  raise  his  voice,  or,  if  he  did,  the 
ejaculation  would  appear  forced  and  artificial.  Neither 
could  he  go  over  to  him  coolly  and  tell  his  good  fortune ; 
and,  partly  from  this  strange  shyness,  and  partly  with 
a  hope  that  another  survey  of  the  treasure  might  restore 
him  to  natural  expression,  he  walked  back  to  his  tunnel. 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  251 

Yes  ;  it  was  there  !  No  mere  "  pocket "  or  "  deposit," 
but  a  part  of  the  actual  vein  he  had  been  so  long  seeking. 
It  was  there,  sure  enough,  lying  beside  the  pick  and  the 
ddbris  of  the  "  face  "  of  the  vein  that  he  had  exposed  suffi- 
ciently, after  the  first  shock  of  discovery,  to  assure  himself 
of  the  fact  and  the  permanence  of  his  fortune.  It  was 
there,  and  with  it  the  refutation  of  his  enemies'  sneers,  the 
corroboration  of  his  friends'  belief,  the  practical  demonstra- 
tion of  his  own  theories,  the  reward  of  his  patient  labors. 
It  was  there,  sure  enough.  But,  somehow,  he  not  only 
failed  to  recall  the  first  joy  of  discovery,  but  was  conscious 
of  a  vague  sense  of  responsibility  and  unrest.  It  was,  no 
doubt,  an  enormous  fortune  to  a  man  in  his  circumstances  : 
perhaps  it  meant  a  couple  of  hundred  thousand  dollars,  or 
more,  judging  from  the  value  of  the  old  Martin  lead,  which 
was  not  as  rich  as  this,  but  it  required  to  be  worked  con- 
stantly and  judiciously.  It  was  with  a  decided  sense  of 
uneasiness  that  he  again  sought  the  open  sunlight  of  the 
hillside.  His  neighbor  was  still  visible  on  the  adjacent 
claim ;  but  he  had  apparently  stopped  working,  and  was 
contemplatively  smoking  a  pipe  under  a  large  pine-tree. 
For  an  instant  he  envied  him  his  apparent  contentment. 
He  had  a  sudden  fierce  and  inexplicable  desire  to  go  over 
to  him  and  exasperate  his  easy  poverty  by  a  revelation  of 
his  own  new-found  treasure.  But  even  that  sensation 
quickly  passed,  and  left  him  staring  blankly  at  the  land- 
scape again. 

As  soon  as  he  had  made  his  discovery  known,  and  settled 
its  value,  he  would  send  for  his  wife  and  her  children  in 
the  States.  He  would  build  a  fine  house  on  the  opposite 
hillside,  if  she  would  consent  to  it,  unless  she  preferred,  for 
the  children's  sake,  to  live  in  San  Francisco.  A  sense  of  a 
loss  of  independence  —  of  a  change  of  circumstances  that 
left  him  no  longer  his  own  master  —  began  to  perplex  him, 
in  the  midst  of  his  brightest  projects.  Certain  other  rela- 


252  A  MILLIONAIRE  OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

tions  with  other  members  of  his  family,  which  had  lapsed 
by  absence  and  insignificance,  must  now  be  taken  up  anew. 
He  must  do  something  for  his  sister  Jane,  for  his  brother 
William,  for  his  wife's  poor  connections.  It  would  be  un- 
fair to  him  to  say  that  he  contemplated  those  things  with 
any  other  instinct  than  that  of  generosity ;  yet  he  was  con- 
scious of  being  already  perplexed  and  puzzled. 

Meantime,  however,  the  neighbor  had  apparently  finished 
his  pipe,  and,  knocking  the  ashes  out  of  it,  rose  suddenly, 
and  ended  any  further  uncertainty  of  their  meeting  by  walk- 
ing over  directly  towards  him.  The  treasure-finder  ad- 
vanced a  few  steps  on  his  side,  and  then  stopped  irreso- 
lutely. 

"  Hollo,  Slinn !  "  said  the  neighbor  confidently. 

"  Hollo,  Masters,"  responded  Slinn  faintly.  From  the 
sound  of  the  two  voices  a  stranger  might  have  mistaken 
their  relative  condition.  "  What  in  thunder  are  you  moon- 
ing about  for  ?  What  >s  up  ?  "  Then,  catching  sight  of 
Slinn's  pale  and  anxious  face,  he  added  abruptly,  "  Are  you 
sick  ?  " 

Slinn  was  on  the  point  of  telling  him  his  good  fortune, 
but  stopped.  The  unlucky  question  confirmed  his  con- 
sciousness of  his  physical  and  mental  disturbance,  and  he 
dreaded  the  ready  ridicule  of  his  companion.  He  would 
tell  him  later ;  Masters  need  not  know  when  he  had  made 
the  strike.  Besides,  in  his  present  vagueness,  he  shrank 
from  the  brusque,  practical  questioning  that  would  be  sure 
to  follow  the  revelation  to  a  man  of  Masters' s  tempera- 
ment. 

"  I  'm  a  little  giddy  here,"  he  answered,  putting  his  hand 
to  his  head,  "  and  I  thought  I  'd  knock  off  until  I  was  bet- 
ter." 

Masters  examined  him  with  two  very  critical  gray  eyes. 
"  Tell  ye  what,  old  man  !  —  if  you  don't  quit  this  dog- 
goned  foolin'  of  yours  in  that  God-forsaken  tunnel  you  '11 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  253 

get  loony  !  Times  you  get  so  tangled  up  in  follerin'  that 
blind  lead  oj  yours  you  ain't  sensible  ! " 

Here  was  the  opportunity  to  tell  him  all,  and  vindicate 
the  justice  of  his  theories  !  But  he  shrank  from  it  again  ; 
and  now,  adding  to  the  confusion,  was  a  singular  sense  of 
dread  at  the  mental  labor  of  explanation.  He  only  smiled 
painfully,  and  began  to  move  away.  "  Look  you  !  "  said 
Masters  peremptorily,  "ye  want  about  three  fingers  of 
straight  whiskey  to  set  you  right,  and  you  've  got  to  take 
it  with  me.  D — n  it,  man,  it  may  be  the  last  drink  we 
take  together  !  Don't  look  so  skeered  !  I  mean  —  I  made 
up  my  mind  about  ten  minutes  ago  to  cut  the  whole  d — d 
thing,  and  light  out  for  fresh  diggings.  I  ?m  sick  of  get- 
ting only  grub  wages  out  o'  this  hill.  So  that 's  what  I 
mean  by  saying  it 's  the  last  drink  you  and  me  '11  take  to- 
gether. You  know  my  ways  :  sayin'  and  doin'  with  me  's 
the  same  thing." 

It  was  true.  Slinn  had  often  envied  Masters's  promptness 
of  decision  and  resolution.  But  he  only  looked  at  the  grim 
face  of  his  interlocutor  with  a  feeble  sense  of  relief.  He 
was  going.  And  he,  Slinn,  would  not  have  to  explain  any- 
thing ! 

He  murmured  something  about  having  to  go  over  to  the 
settlement  on  business.  He  dreaded  lest  Masters  should 
insist  upon  going  into  the  tunnel. 

"  I  suppose  you  want  to  mail  that  letter,"  said  Masters 
dryly.  "  The  mail  don't  go  till  to-morrow,  so  you  've  got 
time  to  finish  it,  and  put  it  in  an  envelope." 

Following  the  direction  of  Masters's  eyes,  Slinn  looked 
down  and  saw,  to  his  utter  surprise,  that  he  was  holding  an 
unfinished  penciled  note  in  his  hand.  How  it  came  there, 
when  he  had  written  it,  he  could  not  tell ;  he  dimly  remem- 
bered that  one  of  his  first  impulses  was  to  write  to  his  wife, 
but  that  he  had  already  done  so  he  had  forgotten.  He 
hastily  concealed  the  note  in  his  breast-pocket,  with  a  vacant 


254  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

smile.  Masters  eyed  him  half  contemptuously,  half  com- 
passionately. 

"  Don't  forget  yourself  and  drop  it  in  some  hollow  tree 
for  a  letter-box/7  he  said.  "  Well  —  so  long  !  —  since  you 
•won't  drink.  Take  care  of  yourself/'  and,  turning  on  his 
heel,  Masters  walked  away. 

Slinn  watched  him  as  he  crossed  over  to  his  abandoned 
claim,  saw  him  gather  his  few  mining  utensils,  strap  his 
blanket  over  his  back,  lift  his  hat  on  his  long-handled  shovel 
as  a  token  of  farewell,  and  then  stride  light-heartedly  over 
the  ridge. 

He  was  alone  now  with  his  secret  and  his  treasure.  The 
only  man  in  the  world  who  knew  of  the  exact  position  of 
his  tunnel  had  gone  away  forever.  It  was  not  likely  that 
this  chance  companion  of  a  few  weeks  would  ever  remember 
him  or  the  locality  again  ;  he  would  now  leave  his  treasure 
alone  —  for  even  a  day  perhaps  —  until  he  had  thought  out 
some  plan  and  sought  out  some  friend  in  whom  to  confide. 
His  secluded  life,  the  singular  habits  of  concentration  which 
had  at  last  proved  so  successful,  had,  at  the  same  time,  left 
him  few  acquaintances  and  no  associates.  And  in  all  his 
well-laid  plans  and  patiently  digested  theories  for  finding 
the  treasure,  the  means  and  methods  of  working  it  and 
disposing  of  it  had  never  entered. 

And  now,  at  the  hour  when  he  most  needed  his  faculties, 
what  was  the  meaning  of  this  strange  benumbing  of  them ! 

Patience  !  He  only  wanted  a  little  rest  —  a  little  time 
to  recover  himself.  There  was  a  large  boulder  under  a  tree 
in  the  highway  to  the  settlement  —  a  sheltered  spot  where 
he  had  often  waited  for  the  coming  of  the  stagecoach.  He 
would  go  there,  and  when  he  was  sufficiently  rested  and 
composed  he  would  go  on. 

Nevertheless,  on  his  way  he  diverged  and  turned  into  the 
woods,  for  no  other  apparent  purpose  than  to  find  a  hollow 
tree.  "  A  hollow  tree."  Yes !  that  was  what  Masters  had 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  255 

said ;  he  remembered  it  distinctly ;  and  something  was  to 
be  done  there,  but  what  it  was,  or  why  it  should  be  done, 
he  could  not  tell.  However,  it  was  done,  and  very  luckily, 
for  his  limbs  could  scarcely  support  him  further,  and  reach- 
ing that  boulder  he  dropped  upon  it  like  another  stone. 

And  now,  strange  to  say,  the  uneasiness  and  perplexity 
which  had  possessed  him  ever  since  he  had  stood  before  his 
revealed  wealth  dropped  from  him  like  a  burden  laid  upon 
the  wayside.  A  measureless  peace  stole  over  him,  in  which 
visions  of  his  new-found  fortune,  no  longer  a  trouble  and 
perplexity,  but  crowned  with  happiness  and  blessing  to  all 
around  him,  assumed  proportions  far  beyond  his  own  weak, 
selfish  plans.  In  its  even-handed  benefaction,  his  wife  and 
children,  his  friends  and  relations,  even  his  late  poor 
companion  of  the  hillside,  met  and  moved  harmoniously 
together ;  in  its  far-reaching  consequences  there  was  only 
the  influence  of  good.  It  was  not  strange  that  this  poor 
finite  mind  should  never  have  conceived  the  meaning  of  the 
wealth  extended  to  him ;  or  that  conceiving  it  he  should 
faint  and  falter  under  the  revelation.  Enough  that  for  a 
few  minutes  he  must  have  tasted  a  joy  of  perfect  anticipation 
that  years  of  actual  possession  might  never  bring. 

The  sun  seemed  to  go  down  in  a  rosy  dream  of  his  own 
happiness,  as  he  still  sat  there.  Later,  the  shadows  of  the 
trees  thickened  and  surrounded  him,  and  still  later  fell  the 
calm  of  a  quiet  evening  sky  with  far-spaced  passionless 
stars,  that  seemed  as  little  troubled  by  what  they  looked 
upon  as  he  was  by  the  stealthy  creeping  life  in  the  grasses 
and  underbrush  at  his  feet.  The  dull  patter  of  soft  little 
feet  in  the  soft  dust  of  the  road,  the  gentle  gleam  of  moist 
and  wondering  little  eyes  on  the  branches  and  in  the  mossy 
edges  of  the  boulder,  did  not  disturb  him.  He  sat  pa- 
tiently through  it  all,  as  if  he  had  not  yet  made  up  his 
mind. 

But  when  the  stage  came  with  the  flashing  sun  the  next 


256  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

morning,  and  the  irresistible  clamor  of  life  and  action,  the 
driver  suddenly  laid  his  four  spirited  horses  on  their 
haunches  before  the  quiet  spot.  The  express  messenger 
clambered  down  from  the  box,  and  approached  what 
seemed  to  be  a  heap  of  cast-off  clothes  upon  the  boulder. 

"  He  don't  seem  to  be  drunk,"  he  said,  in  reply  to  a 
querulous  interrogation  from  the  passengers.  "  I  can't 
make  him  out.  His  eyes  are  open,  but  he  cannot  speak  or 
move.  Take  a  look  at  him,  Doc." 

A  rough,  unprofessional-looking  man  here  descended 
from  the  inside  of  the  coach,  and,  carelessly  thrusting 
aside  the  other  curious  passengers,  suddenly  leant  over  the 
heap  of  clothes  in  a  professional  attitude. 

"  He  is  dead,"  said  one  of  the  passengers. 

The  rough  man  let  the  passive  head  sink  softly  down 
again.  "No  such  luck  for  him,"  he  said  curtly,  but  not 
unkindly.  "  It 's  a  stroke  of  paralysis  —  and  about  as  big 
as  they  make  'em.  It 's  a  toss-up  if  he  ever  speaks  or 
moves  again  as  long  as  he  lives." 


CHAPTER  I 

WHEN  Alvin  Mulrady  announced  his  intention  of  grow- 
ing potatoes  and  garden  "  truck  "  on  the  green  slopes  of 
Los  Gatos,  the  mining  community  of  that  region,  and  the 
adjacent  hamlet  of  Rough-and-Ready,  regarded  it  with 
the  contemptuous  indifference  usually  shown  by  those  ad- 
venturers towards  all  bucolic  pursuits.  There  was  cer- 
tainly no  active  objection  to  the  occupation  of  two  hillsides, 
which  gave  so  little  promise  to  the  prospector  for  gold  that 
it  was  currently  reported  that  a  single  prospector,  called 
"  Slinn,"  had  once  gone  mad  or  imbecile  through  repeated 
failures.  The  only  opposition  came,  incongruously  enough, 
from  the  original  pastoral  owner  of  the  soil,  one  Don 
Ramon  Alvarado,  whose  claim  for  seven  leagues  of  hill 
and  valley,  including  the  now  prosperous  towns  of  Rough- 
and-Ready  and  Red  Dog,  was  met  with  simple  derision 
from  the  squatters  and  miners.  "  Looks  ez  ef  we  woz 
goin'  to  travel  three  thousand  miles  to  open  up  his  d — d 
old  wilderness,  and  then  pay  for  the  increased  valoo  we 
give  it  —  don't  it  ?  Oh,  yes,  certainly  !  "  was  their  ironical 
commentary.  Mulrady  might  have  been  pardoned  for 
adopting  this  popular  opinion  ;  but  by  an  equally  incon- 
gruous sentiment,  peculiar,  however,  to  the  man,  he  called 
upon  Don  Ramon,  and  actually  offered  to  purchase  the 
land,  or  "  go  shares  "  with  him  in  the  agricultural  profits. 
It  was  alleged  that  the  don  was  so  struck  with  this  con- 
cession tjiat  he  not  only  granted  the  land,  but  struck  up  a 
quaint  reserved  friendship  for  the  simple-minded  agricul- 
turist and  his  family.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  that 


258  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

this  intimacy  was  viewed  by  the  miners  with  the  contempt 
that  it  deserved.  They  would  have  been  more  contemp- 
tuous, however,  had  they  known  the  opinion  that  Don 
Ramon  entertained  of  their  particular  vocation,  and  which 
he  early  confided  to  Mulrady. 

"  They  are  savages,  who  expect  to  reap  where  they  have 
not  sown ;  to  take  out  of  the  earth  without  returning 
anything  to  it  but  their  precious  carcasses ;  heathens,  who 
worship  the  mere  stones  they  dig  up."  "  And  was  there 
no  Spaniard  who  ever  dug  gold  ?  "  asked  Mulrady  simply. 
"Ah,  there  are  Spaniards  and  Moors,"  responded  Don 
Eamon  sententiously.  "  Gold  has  been  dug,  and  by  cabal- 
leros  ;  but  no  good  ever  came  of  it.  There  were  Alvara- 
dos  in  Sonora,  look  you,  who  had  mines  of  silver,  and 
worked  them  with  peons  and  mules,  and  lost  their  money 
—  a  gold  mine  to  work  a  silver  one  —  like  gentlemen! 
But  this  grubbing  in  the  dirt  with  one's  fingers,  that  a 
little  gold  may  stick  to  them,  is  not  for  caballeros.  And 
then,  one  says  nothing  of  the  curse." 

"  The  curse !  "  echoed  Mary  Mulrady,  with  youthful 
feminine  superstition.  "  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  You  knew  not,  friend  Mulrady,  that  when  these  lands 
were  given  to  my  ancestors  by  Charles  V.,  the  Bishop  of 
Monterey  laid  a  curse  upon  any  who  should  desecrate  them. 
Good !  Let  us  see  !  Of  the  three  Americanos  who  founded 
yonder  town,  one  was  shot,  another  died  of  a  fever,  — 
poisoned,  you  understand,  by  the  soil,  —  and  the  last  got 
himself  crazy  of  aguardiente.  Even  the  scientifico,1  who 
came  here  years  ago  and  spied  into  the  trees  and  the  herbs  — 
he  was  afterwards  punished  for  his  profanation,  and  died  of 
an  accident  in  other  lands.  But,"  added  Don  Ramon,  with 
grave  courtesy,  "  this  touches  not  yourself.  Through  me, 
you  are  of  the  soil." 

1  Don  Ramon  probably  alluded  to  the  eminent  naturalist  Douglas,  who 
visited  California  before  the  gold  excitement,  and  died  of  an  accident  in 
the  Sandwich  Islands. 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  259 

Indeed,  it  would  seem  as  if  a  secure  if  not  a  rapid  pros- 
perity was  the  result  of  Don  Ramon's  manorial  patronage. 
The  potato  patch  and  market  garden  flourished  exceedingly  ; 
the  rich  soil  responded  with  magnificent  vagaries  of  growth  ; 
the  even  sunshine  set  the  seasons  at  defiance  with  extraor- 
dinary and  premature  crops.  The  salt  pork  and  biscuit 
consuming  settlers  did  not  allow  their  contempt  of  Mul- 
rady's  occupation  to  prevent  their  profiting  by  this  opportu- 
nity for  changing  their  diet.  The  gold  they  had  taken  from 
the  soil  presently  began  to  flow  into  his  pockets  in  exchange 
for  his  more  modest  treasures.  The  little  cabin,  which 
barely  sheltered  his  family,  —  a  wife,  son,  and  daughter,  — 
was  enlarged,  extended,  and  refitted,  but  in  turn  abandoned 
for  a  more  pretentious  house  on  the  opposite  hill.  A  white- 
washed fence  replaced  the  rudely  split  rails,  which  had  kept 
out  the  wilderness.  By  degrees,  the  first  evidences  of  cul- 
tivation—  the  gashes  of  red  soil,  the  piles  of  brush  and 
undergrowth,  the  bared  boulders,  and  heaps  of  stone  — 
melted  away,  and  were  lost  under  a  carpet  of  lighter  green, 
which  made  an  oasis  in  the  tawny  desert  of  wild  oats  on  the 
hillside.  Water  was  the  only  free  boon  denied  this  Garden 
of  Eden;  what  was  necessary  for  irrigation  had  to  be 
brought  from  a  mining  ditch  at  great  expense,  and  was  of 
insufficient  quantity.  In  this  emergency  Mulrady  thought 
of  sinking  an  artesian  well  on  the  sunny  slope  beside  his 
house  ;  not,  however,  without  serious  consultation  and  much 
objection  from  his  Spanish  patron.  With  great  austerity 
Don  Ramon  pointed  out  that  trifling  with  the  entrails  of 
the  earth  was  not  only  an  indignity  to  Nature  almost  equal 
to  shaft-sinking  and  tunneling,  but  was  a  disturbance  of 
vested  interests.  "  I  and  my  fathers  —  San  Diego  rest 
them  !  "  said  Don  Ramon,  crossing  himself  —  "  were  con- 
tent with  wells  and  cisterns,  filled  by  Heaven  at  its  appointed 
seasons  ;  the  cattle,  dumb  brutes  though  they  were,  knew 
where  to  find  water  when  they  wanted  it.  But  thou  sayest 


260  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

truly/'  he  added  with  a  sigh,  "  that  was  before  streams  and 
rain  were  choked  with  hellish  engines,  and  poisoned  with 
their  spume.  Go  on,  friend  Mulrady,  dig  and  bore  if  thou 
wilt,  but  in  a  seemly  fashion,  and  not  with  impious  earth- 
quakes of  devilish  gunpowder." 

With  this  concession  Alvin  Mulrady  began  to  sink  his 
first  artesian  shaft.  Being  debarred  the  auxiliaries  of  steam 
and  gunpowder,  the  work  went  on  slowly.  The  market 
garden  did  not  suffer  meantime,  as  Mulrady  had  employed 
two  Chinamen  to  take  charge  of  the  ruder  tillage,  while 
he  superintended  the  engineering  work  of  the  well.  This 
trifling  incident  marked  an  epoch  in  the  social  condition  -of 
the  family.  Mrs.  Mulrady  at  once  assumed  a  conscious 
importance  among  her  neighbors.  She  spoke  of  her  hus- 
band's "  men  ;  "  she  alluded  to  the  well  as  "  the  works  ;  " 
she  checked  the  easy  frontier  familiarity  of  her  customers 
with  pretty  Mary  Mulrady,  her  seventeen-year-old  daughter. 
Simple  Alvin  Mulrady  looked  with  astonishment  at  this 
sudden  development  of  the  germ  planted  in  all  feminine 
nature  to  expand  in  the  slightest  sunshine  of  prosperity. 
"  Look  yer,  Malviny  ;  ain't  ye  rather  puttin'  on  airs  with 
the  boys  that  want  to  be  civil  to  Mamie  ?  Like  as  not  one 
of  'em  may  be  makin'  up  to  her  already."  "  You  don't 
mean  to  say,  Alvin  Mulrady,"  responded  Mrs.  Mulrady,  with 
sudden  severity,  "  that  you  ever  thought  of  givin'  your 
daughter  to  a  common  miner,  or  that  I  'm  goin'  to  allow 
her  to  marry  out  of  our  own  set  ?  "  "  Our  own  set ! " 
echoed  Mulrady  feebly,  blinking  at  her  in  astonishment, 
and  then  glancing  hurriedly  across  at  his  freckle-faced  son 
and  the  two  Chinamen  at  work  in  the  cabbages.  u  Oh,  you 
know  what  I  mean,"  said  Mrs.  Mulrady  sharply  ;  "  the  set 
that  we  move  in.  The  Alvarados  and  their  friends ! 
Does  n't  the  old  don  come  here  every  day,  and  ain't  his  son 
the  right  age  for  Mamie  ?  And  ain't  they  the  real  first 
families  here  —  all  the  same  as  if  they  were  noblemen  ? 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  261 

No,  leave  Mamie  to  me,  and  keep  to  your  shaft ;  there 
never  was  a  man  yet  had  the  least  sabe  about  these  things, 
or  knew  what  was  due  to  his  family."  Like  most  of  his 
larger-minded,  but  feebler-equipped  sex,  Mulrady  was  too 
glad  to  accept  the  truth  of  the  latter  proposition,  which 
left  the  meannesses  of  life  to  feminine  manipulation,  and 
went  off  to  his  shaft  on  the  hillside.  But  during  that  after- 
noon he  was  perplexed  and  troubled.  He  was  too  loyal  a 
husband  not  to  be  pleased  with  this  proof  of  an  unexpected 
and  superior  foresight  in  his  wife,  although  he  was,  like  all 
husbands,  a  little  startled  by  it.  He  tried  to  dismiss  it 
from  his  mind.  But  looking  down  from  the  hillside  upon 
his  little  venture,  where  gradual  increase  and  prosperity 
had  not  been  beyond  his  faculties  to  control  and  understand, 
he  found  himself  haunted  by  the  more  ambitious  projects 
of  his  helpmate.  From  his  own  knowledge  of  men.  he 
doubted  if  Don  Ramon,  any  more  than  himself,  had  ever 
thought  of  the  possibility  of  a  matrimonial  connection 
between  the  families.  He  doubted  if  he  would  consent  to 
it.  And  unfortunately  it  was  this  very  doubt  that,  touch- 
ing his  own  pride  as  a  self-made  man,  made  him  first  seri- 
ously consider  his  wife's  proposition.  He  was  as  good  as 
Don  Ramon,  any  day  !  With  this  subtle  feminine  poison 
instilled  in  his  veins,  carried  completely  away  by  the  logic 
of  his  wife's  illogical  premises,  he  almost  hated  his  old 
benefactor.  He  looked  down  upon  the  little  Garden  of 
Eden,  where  his  Eve  had  just  tempted  him  with  the  fatal 
fruit,  and  felt  a  curious  consciousness  that  he  was  losing  its 
simple  and  innocent  enjoyment  forever. 

Happily,  about  this  time  Don  Ramon  died.  It  is  not 
probable  that  he  ever  knew  the  amiable  intentions  of  Mrs. 
Mulrady  in  regard  to  his  son,  who  now  succeeded  to  the 
paternal  estate,  sadly  partitioned  by  relatives  and  lawsuits. 
The  feminine  Mulradys  attended  the  funeral,  in  expensive 
mourning  from  Sacramento  ;  even  the  gentle  Alvin  was 


262        -A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

forced  into  ready-made  broadcloth,  which  accented  his  good- 
natured  but  unmistakably  common  presence.  Mrs.  Mul- 
rady  spoke  openly  of  her  "  loss  ;  "  declared  that  the  old 
families  were  dying  out ;  and  impressed  the  wives  of  a  few 
new  arrivals  at  Ked  Dog  with  the  belief  that  her  own 
family  was  contemporary  with  the  Alvarados,  and  that  her 
husband's  health  was  far  from  perfect.  She  extended  a 
motherly  sympathy  to  the  orphaned  Don  Caesar.  Reserved, 
like  his  father,  in  natural  disposition,  he  was  still  more 
gravely  ceremonious  from  his  loss ;  and,  perhaps  from  the 
shyness  of  an  evident  partiality  for  Mamie  Mulrady,  he 
rarely  availed  himself  of  her  mother's  sympathizing  hospi- 
tality. But  he  carried  out  the  intentions  of  his  father  by 
consenting  to  sell  to  Mulrady,  for  a  small  sum,  the  property 
he  had  leased.  The  idea  of  purchasing  had  originated  with 
Mrs.  Mulrady. 

"  It  '11  be  all  in  the  family,"  had  observed  that  astute 
lady,  "  and  it 's  better  for  the  looks  of  the  things  that  we 
should  n't  be  his  tenants." 

It  was  only  a  few  weeks  later  that  she  was  startled  by 
hearing  her  husband's  voice  calling  her  from  the  hillside  as 
he  rapidly  approached  the  house.  Mamie  was  in  her  room 
putting  on  a  new  pink  cotton  gown,  in  honor  of  an  expected 
visit  from  young  Don  Caesar,  and  Mrs.  Mulrady  was  tidy- 
ing the  house  in  view  of  the  same  event.  Something  in 
the  tone  of  her  good  man's  voice,  and  the  unusual  circum- 
stance of  his  return  to  the  house  before  work  was  done, 
caused  her,  however,  to  drop  her  dusting  cloth,  and  run  to 
the  kitchen  door  to  meet  him.  She  saw  him  running  through 
the  rows  of  cabbages,  his  face  shining  with  perspiration  and 
excitement,  a  light  in  his  eyes  which  she  had  not  seen  for 
years.  She  recalled,  without  sentiment,  that  he  looked 
like  that  when  she  had  called  him  —  a  poor  farm  hand  of 
her  father's  —  out  of  the  brush  heap  at  the  back  of  their 
former  home,  in  Illinois,  to  learn  the  consent  of  her  par- 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  263 

ents.  The  recollection  was  the  more  embarrassing  as  he 
threw  his  arms  around  her,  and  pressed  a  resounding  kiss 
upon  her  sallow  cheek. 

"  Sakes  alive,  Mulrady  !  "  she  said,  exorcising  the  ghost 
of  a  blush  that  had  also  been  recalled  from  the  past  with 
her  housewife's  apron,  "  what  are  you  doin',  and  company 
expected  every  minit  ?  " 

"  Malviny,  1 've  struck  it ;  and  struck  it  rich !  " 

She  disengaged  herself  from  his  arms,  without  excite- 
ment, and  looked  at  him  with  bright  but  shrewdly  obser- 
vant eyes. 

"  I  've  struck  it  in  the  well  —  the  regular  vein  that  the 
boys  have  been  looking  fer.  There  's  a  fortin'  fer  you  and 
Mamie  —  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  !  " 

"  Wait  a  minit." 

She  left  him  quickly,  and  went  to  the  foot  of  the  stairs. 
He  could  hear  her  wonderingly  and  distinctly.  "  Ye  can 
take  off  that  new  frock,  Mamie,"  she  called  out. 

There  was  a  sound  of  undisguised  expostulation  from 
Mamie. 

"  I  'm  speaking,"  said  Mrs.  Mulrady  emphatically. 

The  murmuring  ceased.  Mrs.  Mulrady  returned  to  her 
husband.  The  interruption  seemed  to  have  taken  off  the 
keen  edge  of  his  enjoyment.  He  at  once  abdicated  his 
momentary  elevation  as  a  discoverer,  and  waited  for  her  to 
speak. 

"  Ye  have  n't  told  any  one  yet  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  No.  I  was  alone,  down  in  the  shaft.  Ye  see,  Mal- 
viny, I  was  n't  expectin'  of  anything."  He  began,  with  an 
attempt  at  fresh  enjoyment,  "I  was  just  clearin'  out,  and 
had  n't  reckoned  on  any  thin'." 

"  You  see,  I  was  right  when  I  advised  your  taking  the 
land,"  she  said,  without  heeding  him. 

Mulrady's  face  fell.  "  I  hope  Don  Caesar  won't  think  " 
—  he  began  hesitatingly.  "  I  reckon,  perhaps,  I  oughter 
make  some  sorter  compensation  —  you  know." 


264  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-EEADY 

«  Stuff !  "  said  Mrs  Mulrady  decidedly.  "  Don't  be  a 
fool.  Any  gold  discovery,  anyhow,  would  have  heen  yours 
—  that 's  the  law.  And  you  bought  the  land  without  any 
restrictions.  Besides,  you  never  had  any  idea  of  this  !  "  — 
she  stopped,  and  looked  him  suddenly  in  the  face,  —  "  had 
you  ?  " 

Mulrady  opened  his  honest,  pale  gray  eyes  widely. 

"  Why,  Malviny !  You  know  I  had  n't.  I  could 
swear ! " 

"  Don't  swear,  and  don't  let  on  to  anybody  but  what  you 
did  know  it  was  there.  Now,  Alvin  Mulrady,  listen  to 
me."  Her  voice  here  took  the  strident  form  of  action. 
"  Knock  off  work  at  the  shaft,  and  send  your  man  away  at 
once.  Put  on  your  things,  catch  the  next  stage  to  Sacra- 
mento at  four  o'clock,  and  take  Mamie  with  you." 

"  Mamie  !  "  echoed  Mulrady  feebly. 

"  You  want  to  see  Lawyer  Cole  and  my  brother  Jim  at 
once,"  she  went  on,  without  heeding  him,  "  and  Mamie 
wants  change  and  some  proper  clothes.  Leave  the  rest 
to  me  and  Abner.  I  '11  break  it  to  Mamie,  and  get  her 
ready." 

Mulrady  passed  his  hands  through  his  tangled  hair,  wet 
with  perspiration.  He  was  proud  of  his  wife's  energy  and 
action  ;  he  did  not  dream  of  opposing  her,  but  somehow  he 
was  disappointed.  The  charming  glamour  and  joy  of  his 
discovery  had  vanished  before  he  could  fairly  dazzle  her 
with  it ;  or,  rather,  she  was  not  dazzled  with  it  at  all. 
It  had  become  like  business,  and  the  expression  "  breaking 
it  "  to  Mamie  jarred  upon  him.  He  would  have  preferred 
to  tell  her  himself ;  to  watch  the  color  come  into  her  deli- 
cate oval  face,  to  have  seen  her  soft  eyes  light  with  an 
innocent  joy  he  had  not  seen  in  his  wife's  ;  and  he  felt  a 
sinking  conviction  that  his  wife  was  the  last  one  to  awaken 
it. 

"  You  ain't  got  any  time  to  lose,"  she  said  impatiently, 
as  he  hesitated. 


A  MILLIONAIRE   6F  ROUGH-AND-READY  265 

Perhaps  it  was  her  impatience  that  struck  harshly  upon 
him  ;  perhaps,  if  she  had  not  accepted  her  good  fortune  so 
confidently,  he  would  not  have  spoken  what  was  in  his  mind 
at  the  time  ;  but  he  said  gravely,  "  Wait  a  minit,  Malviny  ; 
I  've  suthin'  to  tell  you  'bout  this  find  of  mine  that  's  sin- 
g'lar." 

u  Go  on,"  she  said  quickly. 

"  Lyin'  among  the  rotten  quartz  of  the  vein  was  a  pick," 
lie  said  constrainedly  ;  "  and  the  face  of  the  vein  sorter 
looked  ez  if  it  had  been  worked  at.  Follering  the  line  out- 
side to  the  base  of  the  hill  there  was  .signs  of  there  having 
been  an  old  tunnel ;  but  it  had  fallen  in,  and  was  blocked 
up." 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Mulrady  contemptuously. 

"  Well,"  returned  her  husband  somewhat  disconnectedly, 
"  it  kinder  looked  as  if  some  feller  might  have  discovered 
it  before." 

"  And  went  away,  and  left  it  for  others  !  That 's  likely, 
ain't  it  ? "  interrupted  his  wife,  with  ill-disguised  intoler- 
ance. "  Everybody  knows  the  hill  was  n't  worth  that  for 
piospectin'  ;  and  it  was  abandoned  when  we  came  here. 
It  's  your  property  and  you  've  paid  for  it.  Are  you  goin' 
to  wait  to  advertise  for  the  owner,  Alvin  Mulrady,  or  are 
you  going  to  Sacramento  at  four  o'clock  to-day  ?  " 

Mulrady  started.  He  had  never  seriously  believed  in 
the  possibility  of  a  previous  discovery  ;  but  his  conscientious 
nature  had  prompted  him  to  give  it  a  fair  consideration. 
She  was  probably  right.  What  he  might  have  thought  had 
she  treated  it  with  equal  conscientiousness  he  did  not  con- 
sider. "  All  right,"  he  said  simply.  "I  reckon  we  '11  go 
at  once." 

"And  when  you  talk  to  Lawyer  Cole  and  Jim,  keep 
that  silly  stuff  about  the  pick  to  yourself.  There  's  no  use 
of  putting  queer  ideas  into  other  people's  heads  because 
you  happen  to  have  'em  yourself." 


266  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

When  the  hurried  arrangements  were  at  last  completed, 
and  Mr.  Mulrady  and  Mamie,  accompanied  by  a  taciturn 
and  discreet  Chinaman,  carrying  their  scant  luggage,  were  on 
their  way  to  the  highroad  to  meet  the  up  stage,  the  father 
gazed  somewhat  anxiously  and  wistfully  into  his  daughter's 
face.  He  had  looked  forward  to  those  few  moments  to  en- 
joy the  freshness  and  naivete  of  Mamie's  youthful  delight 
and  enthusiasm  as  a  relief  to  his  wife's  practical,  far-sighted 
realism.  There  was  a  pretty  pink  suffusion  in  her  delicate 
cheek,  the  breathless  happiness  of  a  child  in  her  half-opened 
little  mouth,  and  a  beautiful  absorption  in  her  large  gray 
eyes  that  augured  well  for  him. 

"  Well,  Mamie,  how  do  we  like  bein'  an  heiress  ?  How 
do  we  like  layin'  over  all  the  gals  between  this  and 
'Frisco  ?  " 

"  Eh  ?  " 

She  had  not  heard  him.  The  tender  beautiful  eyes  were 
engaged  in  an  anticipatory  examination  of  the  remembered 
shelves  in  the  Fancy  Emporium  at  Sacramento ;  in  read- 
ing the  admiration  of  the  clerks ;  in  glancing  down  a  little 
criticisingly  at  the  broad  cowhide  brogues  that  strode  at  her 
side ;  in  looking  up  the  road  for  the  stagecoach  ;  in  regard- 
ing the  fit  of  her  new  gloves  —  everywhere  but  in  the  loving 
eyes  of  the  man  beside  her. 

He,  however,  repeated  the  question,  touched  with  her 
charming  preoccupation,  and  passing  his  arm  around  her 
little  waist. 

"  I  like  it  well  enough,  pa,  you  know,"  she  said,  slightly 
disengaging  his  arm,  but  adding  a  perfunctory  little  squeeze 
to  his  elbow  to  soften  the  separation.  "  I  always  had  an 
idea  something  would  happen.  I  suppose  I  'm  looking 
like  a  fright,"  she  added  ;  "  but  ma  made  me  hurry  to  get 
away  before  Don  Caesar  came." 

"  And  you  did  n't  want  to  go  without  seeing  him  ?  "  he 
added  archly. 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF   ROUGH-AND-READY  267 

"  I  did  n't  want  him  to  see  me  in  this  frock,"  said 
Mamie  simply.  "  I  reckon  that 's  why  ma  made  me 
change,"  she  added,  with  a  slight  laugh. 

"  Well,  I  reckon  you  're  allus  good  enough  for  him  in 
any  dress,"  said  Mulrady,  watching  her  attentively;  "and 
more  than  a  match  for  him  now"  he  added  triumphantly. 

"  I  don't  know  about  that/'  said  Mamie.  "  He  ?s  heen 
rich  all  the  time,  and  his  father  and  grandfather  before  him  ; 
while  we've  been  poor  and  his  tenants." 

His  face  changed  ;  the  look  of  bewilderment,  with  which 
he  had  followed  her  words,  gave  way  to  one  of  pain,  and 
then  of  anger.  "  Did  he  get  off  such  stuff  as  that  ?  "  he 
asked  quickly. 

"  No.  I  'd  like  to  catch  him  at  it,"  responded  Mamie 
promptly.  "  There  's  better  nor  him  to  be  had  for  the  ask- 
ing now." 

They  had  walked  on  a  few  moments  in  aggrieved  silence, 
and  the  Chinaman  might  have  imagined  some  misfortune 
had  just  befallen  them.  But  Mamie's  teeth  shone  again 
between  her  parted  lips.  "  La,  pa  !  it  ain't  that !  He 
cares  everything  for  me,  and  I  do  for  him  ;  and  if  ma  had  n't 
got  new  ideas  "  —  She  stopped  suddenly. 

"  What  new  ideas  ?  "  queried  her  father  anxiously. 

"  Oh,  nothing !  I  wish,  pa,  you  'd  put  on  your  other 
boots  !  Everybody  can  see  these  are  made  for  the  farrows. 
And  you  ain't  a  market  gardener  any  more." 

"  What  am  I,  then  ? "  asked  Mulrady,  with  a  half- 
pleased,  half-uneasy  laugh. 

"  You  're  a  capitalist,  I  say  ;  but  ma  says  a  landed  pro- 
prietor." Nevertheless,  the  landed  proprietor,  when  he 
reached  the  boulder  on  the  Ked  Dog  highway,  sat  down  in 
somewhat  moody  contemplation,  with  his  head  bowed  over 
the  broad  cowhide  brogues,  that  seemed  to  have  already 
gathered  enough  of  the  soil  to  indicate  his  right  to  that 
title.  Mamie,  who  had  recovered  her  spirits,  but  had  not 


268  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

lost  her  preoccupation,  wandered  off  by  herself  in  the 
meadow,  or  ascended  the  hillside,  as  her  occasional  impa- 
tience at  the  delay  of  the  coach,  or  the  following  of  some 
ambitious  fancy,  alternately  prompted  her.  She  was  so 
far  away  at  one  time  that  the  stagecoach,  which  finally 
drew  up  before  Mulrady,  was  obliged  to  wait  for  her. 

When  she  was  deposited  safely  inside,  and  Mulrady  had 
climbed  to  the  box  beside  the  driver,  the  latter  remarked 
curtly  :  — 

"  Ye  gave  me  a  right  smart  skeer,  a  minit  ago,  stranger." 

"Ezhow?" 

"  Well,  about  three  years  ago,  I  was  comin'  down  this 
yer  grade,  at  just  this  time,  and  sittin'  right  on  that  stone, 
in  just  your  attitude,  was  a  man  about  your  build  and 
years.  I  pulled  up  to  let  him  in,  when,  darn  my  skin  !  if 
he  ever  moved,  but  sorter  looked  at  me  without  speakin'. 
I  called  to  him,  and  he  never  answered,  'cept  with  that 
idiotic  stare.  I  then  let  him  have  my  opinion  of  him,  in 
mighty  strong  English,  and  drove  off,  leavin'  him  there. 
The  next  morning,  when  I  came  by  on  the  up  trip,  darn 
my  skin  !  if  he  was  n't  thar,  but  lyin'  all  of  a  heap  on 
the  boulder.  Jim  drops  down  and  picks  him  up.  Dr. 
Duchesne,  ez  was  along,  allowst  it  was  a  played-out  pro- 
spector, with  a  big  case  of  paralysis,  and  we  expressed  him 
through  to  the  County  Hospital,  like  so  much  dead  freight. 
I  've  allus  been  kinder  superstitious  about  passin'  that  rock, 
and  when  I  saw  you  jist  now,  sittin'  thar,  dazed  like,  with 
your  head  down  like  the  other  chap,  it  rather  threw  me  off 
my  centre." 

In  the  inexplicable  and  half-superstitious  uneasiness  that 
this  coincidence  awakened  in  Mulrady's  unimaginative  mind, 
he  was  almost  on  the  point  of  disclosing  his  good  fortune 
to  the  driver,  in  order  to  prove  how  preposterous  was  the 
parallel,  but  checked  himself  in  time. 

"  Did  you  find  out  who  he  was  ?  "  broke  in  a  rash  pas- 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  269 

senger.     "  Did  you  ever  get  over  it  ?  "  added  another  un- 
fortunate. 

With  a  pause  of  insulting  scorn  at  the  interruption,  the 
driver  resumed,  pointedly,  to  Mulrady  :  "  The  pint  of  the 
whole  thing  was  my  cussin'  a  helpless  man,  ez  could  neither 
cuss  back  nor  shoot ;  and  then  afterwards  takin'  you  for  his 
ghost  layin'  for  me  to  get  even."  He  paused  again,  and 
then  added  carelessly,  "  They  say  he  never  kein  to  enuff  to 
let  on  who  he  was  or  whar  he  kem  from ;  and  he  was 
eventooally  taken  to  a  'Sylum  for  Doddering  Idjits  and 
Gin'ral  and  Permiskus  Imbeciles  at  Sacramento.  I  've 
heerd  it 's  considered  a  first-class  institooshun,  not  only  for 
them  ez  is  paralyzed  and  can't  talk,  as  for  them  ez  is  the 
reverse  and  is  too  chipper.  Now,"  he  added,  languidly 
turning  for  the  first  time  to  his  miserable  questioners,  "  how 


CHAPTER  H 

WHEN  the  news  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Mulrady's 
shaft  was  finally  made  public,  it  created  an  excitement 
hitherto  unknown  in  the  history  of  the  country.  Half  of 
Ked  Dog  and  all  Rough-and-Ready  were  emptied  upon  the 
yellow  hills  surrounding  Mulrady's,  until  their  circling  camp- 
fires  looked  like  a  besieging  army  that  had  invested  his 
peaceful  pastoral  home,  preparatory  to  carrying  it  by  assault. 
Unfortunately  for  them,  they  found  the  various  points  of 
vantage  already  garrisoned  with  notices  of  "  preemption  " 
for  mining  purposes  in  the  name  of  the  various  members  of 
the  Alvarado  family.  This  stroke  of  business  was  due  to 
Mrs.  Mulrady,  as  a  means  of  mollifying  the  conscientious 
scruples  of  her  husband  and  of  her  placating  the  Alvarados, 
in  view  of  some  remote  contingency.  It  is  but  fair  to  say 
that  this  degradation  of  his  father's  Castilian  principles  was 
opposed  by  Don  Caesar.  "  You  need  n't  work  them  your- 
self, but  sell  out  to  them  that  will ;  it 's  the  only  way  to 
keep  the  prospectors  from  taking  it  without  paying  for  it  at 
all,"  argued  Mrs.  Mulrady.  Don  Caesar  finally  assented  ; 
perhaps  less  to  the  business  arguments  of  Mulrady's  wife 
than  to  the  simple  suggestion  of  Mamie's  mother.  Enough 
that  he  realized  a  sum  in  money  for  a  few  acres  that  ex- 
ceeded the  last  ten  years'  income  of  Don  E-amon's  seven 


Equally  unprecedented  and  extravagant  was  the  realiza- 
tion of  the  discovery  in  Mulrady's  shaft.  It  was  alleged 
that  a  company  hastily  formed  in  Sacramento  paid  him  a 
million  of  dollars  down,  leaving  him  still  a  controlling  two- 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  271 

thirds  interest  in  the  mine.  With  an  obstinacy,  however, 
that  amounted  almost  to  a  moral  conviction,  he  refused  to 
include  the  house  and  potato-patch  in  the  property.  When 
the  company  had  yielded  the  point,  he  declined,  with  equal 
tenacity,  to  part  with  it  to  outside  speculators  on  even  the 
most  extravagant  offers.  In  vain  Mrs.  Mulrady  protested ; 
in  vain  she  pointed  out  to  him  that  the  retention  of  the 
evidence  of  his  former  humble  occupation  was  a  green  blot 
upon  their  social  escutcheon. 

"  If  you  will  keep  the  land,  build  on  it,  and  root  up  the 
garden."  But  Mulrady  was  adamant. 

"  It 's  the  only  thing  I  ever  made  myself,  and  got  out  of 
the  soil  with  my  own  hands ;  it 's  the  beginning  of  my  for- 
tune, and  it  may  be  the  end  of  it.  Mebbe  I  '11  be  glad 
enough  to  have  it  to  come  back  to  some  day,  and  be  thank- 
ful for  the  square  meal  I  can  dig  out  of  it." 

By  repeated  pressure,  however,  Mulrady  yielded  the  com- 
promise that  a  portion  of  it  should  be  made  into  a  vineyard 
and  flower  garden,  and  by  a  suitable  coloring  of  ornament 
and  luxury  obliterate  its  vulgar  part.  Less  successful, 
however,  was  that  energetic  woman  in  another  effort  to 
mitigate  the  austerities  of  their  earlier  state.  It  occurred 
to  her  to  utilize  the  softer  accents  of  Don  Caesar  in  the 
pronunciation  of  their  family  name,  and  privately  had 
"  Mulrade  "  take  the  place  of  Mulrady  on  her  visiting-card. 
"It  might  be  Spanish,"  she  argued  with  her  husband. 
"  Lawyer  Cole  says  most  American  names  are  corrupted,  and 
how  do  you  know  that  yours  ain't  ?  "  Mulrady,  who  would 
not  swear  that  his  ancestors  came  from  Ireland  to  the  Caro- 
linas  in  '98,  was  helpless  to  refute  the  assertion.  But  the 
terrible*  Nemesis  of  an  un-Spanish,  American  provincial 
speech  avenged  the  orthographical  outrage  at  once.  When 
Mrs.  Mulrady  began  to  be  addressed  orally,  as  well  as  by 
letter,  as  "  Mrs.  Mulraid,"  and  when  simple  amatory  effusions 
to  her  daughter  rhymed  with  "  lovely  maid,"  she  promptly 


272  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

restored  the  original  vowel.  But  she  fondly  clung  to  the 
Spanish  courtesy  which  transformed  her  husband's  baptismal 
name,  and  usually  spoke  of  him  —  in  his  absence  —  as  "  Don 
Alvino."  But  in  the  presence  of  his  short,  square  figure, 
his  orange  tawny  hair,  his  twinkling  gray  eyes,  and 
retrousse  nose,  even  that  dominant  woman  withheld  his 
title.  It  was  currently  reported  at  Bed  Dog  that  a  dis- 
tinguished foreigner  had  one  day  approached  Mulrady  with 
the  formula,  "  I  believe  I  have  the  honor  of  addressing  Don 
Alvino  Mulrady  ?  "  "  You  kin  bet  your  boots,  stranger, 
that 's  me,"  had  returned  that  simple  hidalgo. 

Although  Mrs.  Mulrady  would  have  preferred  that 
Mamie  should  remain  at  Sacramento  until  she  should  join 
her,  preparatory  to  a  trip  to  "  the  States  "  and  Europe,  she 
yielded  to  her  daughter's  desire  to  astonish  Rough -and- 
Ready,  before  she  left,  with  her  new  wardrobe,  and  unfold 
in  the  parent  nest  the  delicate  and  painted  wings  with 
which  she  was  to  fly  from  them  forever.  "I  don't  want 
them  to  remember  me  afterwards  in  those  spotted  prints, 
ma,  and  like  as  not  say  I  never  had  a  decent  frock  until  I 
went  away."  There  was  something  so  like  the  daughter  of 
her  mother  in  this  delicate  foresight  that  the  touched  and 
gratified  parent  kissed  her,  and  assented.  The  result  was 
gratifying  beyond  her  expectation.  In  that  few  weeks' 
sojourn  at  Sacramento,  the  young  girl  seemed  to  have 
adapted  and  assimilated  herself  to  the  latest  modes  of 
fashion  with  even  more  than  the  usual  American  girl's 
pliancy  and  taste.  Equal  to  all  emergencies  of  style  and 
material,  she  seemed  to  supply,  from  some  hitherto  un- 
known quality  she  possessed,  the  grace  and  manner  peculiar 
to  each.  Untrammeled  by  tradition,  education,  or  prece- 
dent, she  had  the  Western  girl's  confidence  in  all  things 
being  possible,  which  made  them  so  often  probable.  Mr. 
Mulrady  looked  at  his  daughter  with  mingled  sentiments 
of  pride  and  awe.  Was  it  possible  that  this  delicate  crea- 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  273 

ture,  so  superior  to  him  that  he  seemed  like  a  degenerate 
scion  of  her  remoter  race,  was  his  own  flesh  and  blood  ? 
Was  she  the  daughter  of  her  mother,  who  even  in  her  re- 
membered youth  was  never  equipped  like  this  ?  If  the 
thought  brought  no  pleasure  to  his  simple,  loving  nature,  it 
at  least  spared  him  the  pain  of  what  might  have  seemed 
ingratitude  in  one  more  akin  to  himself.  "  The  fact  is,  we 
ain't  quite  up  to  her  style,"  was  his  explanation  and 
apology.  A  vague  belief  that  in  another  and  a  better 
world  than  this  he  might  approximate  and  understand  this 
perfection  somewhat  soothed  and  sustained  him. 

It  was  quite  consistent,  therefore,  that  the  embroidered 
cambric  dress  which  Mamie  Mulrady  wore  one  summer 
afternoon  on  the  hillside  at  Los  Gatos,  while  to  the  critical 
feminine  eye  at  once  artistic  and  expensive,  should  not 
seem  incongruous  to  her  surroundings  or  to  herself  in  the 
eyes  of  a  general  audience.  It  certainly  did  not  seem  so  to 
one  pair  of  frank,  humorous  ones  that  glanced  at  her  from 
time  to  time,  as  their  owner,  a  young  fellow  of  five-and- 
twenty,  walked  at  her  side.  He  was  the  new  editor  of  the 
"  Rough-and-Ready  Record,"  and,  having  been  her  fellow 
passenger  from  Sacramento,  had  already  once  or  twice 
availed  himself  of  her  father's  invitation  to  call  upon  them. 
Mrs.  Mulrady  had  not  discouraged  this  mild  flirtation. 
Whether  she  wished  to  disconcert  Don  Caesar  for  some 
occult  purpose,  or  whether,  like  the  rest  of  her  sex,  she  had 
an  overweening  confidence  in  the  unheroic,  unseductive, 
and  purely  platonic  character  of  masculine  humor,  did  not 
appear. 

"  When  I  say  I  'm  sorry  you  are  going  to  leave  us,  Miss 
Mulrady,"  said  the  young  fellow  lightly,  "  you  will  com- 
prehend my  unselfishness,  since  I  frankly  admit  your  depar- 
ture would  be  a  positive  relief  to  me  as  an  editor  and  a 
man.  The  pressure  in  the  Poet's  Corner  of  the  'Record,' 
since  it  was  unmistakingly  discovered  that  a  person  of  your 


274  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

name  might  be  induced  to  seek  the  '  glade '  and  '  shade  ' 
without  being  '  afraid/  '  dismayed,'  or  '  betrayed/  has  been 
something  enormous,  and,  unfortunately,  I  am  debarred 
from  rejecting  anything,  on  the  just  ground  that  I  am  my- 
self an  interested  admirer." 

"  It  is  dreadful  to  be  placarded  around  the  country  by 
one's  own  full  name,  is  n't  it  ?  "  said  Mamie,  without,  how- 
ever, expressing  much  horror  in  her  face. 

"  They  think  it  much  more  respectful  than  to  call  you 
'  Mamie/  "  he  responded  lightly  ;  "  and  many  of  your 
admirers  are  middle-aged  men,  with  a  mediaeval  style  of 
compliment.  I've  discovered  that  amatory  versifying 
was  n't  entirely  a  youthful  passion.  Colonel  Cash  is  about 
as  fatal  with  a  couplet  as  with  a  double-barreled  gun,  and 
scatters  as  terribly.  Judge  Butts  and  Dr.  Wilson  have 
both  discerned  the  resemblance  of  your  gifts  to  those  of 
Venus,  and  their  own  to  Apollo.  But  don't  undervalue 
those  tributes,  Miss  Mulrady,"  he  added  more  seriously. 
"You  '11  have  thousands  of  admirers  where  you  are  going  ; 
but  you  '11  be  willing  to  admit  in  the  end,  I  think,  that 
none  were  more  honest  and  respectful  than  your  subjects  at 
Eough-and-Keady  and  Eed  Dog."  He  stopped,  and  added 
in  a  graver  tone,  "  Does  Don  Ca3sar  write  poetry  ?  " 

"  He  has  something  better  to  do,"  said  the  young  lady 
pertly. 

"  I  can  easily  imagine  that,"  he  returned  mischievously  ; 
"it  must  be  a  pallid  substitute  for  other  opportunities." 

"  What  did  you  come  here  for  ?  "  she  asked  suddenly. 

"  To  see  you." 

"  Nonsense  !  You  know  what  I  mean.  Why  did  you 
ever  leave  Sacramento  to  come  here  ?  I  should  think  it 
would  suit  you  so  much  better  than  this  place." 

"  I  suppose  I  was  fired  by  your  father's  example,  and 
•wished  to  find  a  gold  mine." 

"  Men  like  you  never  do,"  she  said  simply. 


A  MILLIONAIRE  OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  275 

"  Is  that  a  compliment,  Miss  Mulrady  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.     But  I  think  that  you  think  that  it  is." 

He  gave  her  the  pleased  look  of  one  who  had  unexpect- 
edly found  a  sympathetic  intelligence.  "Do  I  ?  This  is 
interesting.  Let  7s  sit  down."  In  their  desultory  ram- 
bling they  had  reached,  quite  unconsciously,  the  large  boul- 
der at  the  roadside.  Mamie  hesitated  a  moment,  looked  up 
and  down  the  road,  and  then,  with  an  already  opulent  in- 
difference to  the  damaging  of  her  spotless  skirt,  sat  herself 
upon  it,  with  her  furled  parasol  held  by  her  two  little 
hands  thrown  over  her  half-drawn-up  knee.  The  young 
editor,  half  sitting,  half  leaning,  against  the  stone,  began  to 
draw  figures  in  the  sand  with  his  cane. 

"  On  the  contrary,  Miss  Mulrady,  I  hope  to  make  some 
money  here.  You  are  leaving  Rough-and-Ready  because 
you  are  rich.  We  are  coming  to  it  because  we  are  poor." 

"  We  ?  "  echoed  Mamie  lazily,  looking  up  the  road. 

"  Yes.     My  father  and  two  sisters." 

"  I  am  sorry.  I  might  have  known  them  if  I  had  n't 
been  going  away."  At  the  same  moment,  it  flashed  across 
her  mind  that,  if  they  were  like  the  man  before  her,  they 
might  prove  disagreeably  independent  and  critical.  "  Is 
your  father  in  business  ?  "  she  asked. 

He  shook  his  head.  After  a  pause,  he  said,  punctuating 
his  sentences  with  the  point  of  his  stick  in  the  soft  dust, 
"  He  is  paralyzed,  and  out  of  his  mind,  Miss  Mulrady.  I 
came  to  California  to  seek  him,  as  all  news  of  him  ceased 
three  years  since ;  and  I  found  him  only  two  weeks  ago, 
alone,  friendless  —  an  unrecognized  pauper  in  the  county 
hospital." 

"  Two  weeks  ago  ?  That  was  when  I  went  to  Sacra- 
mento." 

"Very  probably." 

"  It  must  have  been  very  shocking  to  you  ?  " 

« It  was." 


276  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND  READY 

"  I  should  think  you  'd  feel  real  bad  ?  " 

"  I  do,  at  times."  He  smiled,  and  laid  his  stick  on  the 
stone.  "  You  now  see,  Miss  Mulrady,  how  necessary  to 
me  is  this  good  fortune  that  you  don't  think  me  worthy  of. 
Meantime  I  must  try  to  make  a  home  for  them  at  Rough- 
and-Ready." 

Miss  Mulrady  put  down  her  knee  and  her  parasol.  "  We 
must  n't  stay  here  much  longer,  you  know." 

"Why?" 

"  Wh}?-,  the  stagecoach  comes  by  at  about  this  time." 

"  And  you  think  the  passengers  will  observe  us  sitting 
here?" 

"  Of  course  they  will." 

"  Miss  Mulrady,  I  implore  you  to  stay." 

He  was  leaning  over  her  with  such  apparent  earnestness 
of  voice  and  gesture  that  the  color  came  into  her  cheek. 
For  a  moment  she  scarcely  dared  to  lift  her  conscious  eyes 
to  his.  When  she  did  so,  she  suddenly  glanced  her  own 
aside  with  a  flash  of  anger.  He  was  laughing. 

"  If  you  have  any  pity  for  me,  do  not  leave  me  now,"  he 
repeated.  "  Stay  a  moment  longer,  and  my  fortune  is 
made.  The  passengers  will  report  us  all  over  Bed  Dog  as 
engaged.  I  shall  be  supposed  to  be  in  your  father's 
secrets,  and  shall  be  sought  after  as  a  director  of  all  the 
new  companies.  The  '  Record '  will  double  its  circula- 
tion ;  poetry  will  drop  out  of  its  columns,  advertising  rush 
to  fill  its  place,  and  I  shall  receive  five  dollars  a  week 
more  salary,  if  not  seven  and  a  half.  Never  mind  the  con- 
sequences to  yourself  at  such  a  moment.  I  assure  you  there 
will  be  none.  You  can  deny  it  the  next  day  —  J  will 
deny  it  —  nay,  more,  the  '  Record '  itself  will  deny  it  in  an 
extra  edition  of  one  thousand  copies,  at  ten  cents  each. 
Linger  a  moment  longer,  Miss  Mulrady.  Fly,  oh,  fly  not 
yet.  They  're  coming  —  hark  !  ho  !  By  Jove,  it 's  only  Don 
Caesar  J " 


A  MILLIONAIRE  OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  277 

It  was,  indeed,  only  the  young  scion  of  the  house  of 
Alvarado,  blue-eyed,  sallow-skinned,  and  high-shouldered, 
coming  towards  them  on  a  fiery,  half-broken  mustang, 
whose  very  spontaneous  lawlessness  seemed  to  accentuate 
and  bring  out  the  grave  and  decorous  ease  of  his  rider. 
Even  in  his  burlesque  preoccupation  the  editor  of  the 
"  Record  "  did  not  withhold  his  admiration  of  this  perfect 
horsemanship.  Mamie,  who,  in  her  wounded  amour  propre, 
would  like  to  have  made  much  of  it  to  annoy  her  companion, 
was  thus  estopped  any  ostentatious  compliment. 

Don  Csesar  lifted  his  hat  with  sweet  seriousness  to  the 
lady,  with  grave  courtesy  to  the  gentleman.  While  the 
lower  half  of  this  Centaur  was  apparently  quivering  with 
fury,  and  stamping  the  ground  in  his  evident  desire  to 
charge  upon  the  pair,  the  upper  half,  with  natural  dignity, 
looked  from  the  one  to  the  other,  as  if  to  leave  the  privi- 
lege of  an  explanation  with  them.  But  Mamie  was  too 
wise,  and  her  companion  too  indifferent,  to  offer  one.  A 
slight  shade  passed  over  Don  Caesar's  face.  To  complicate 
the  situation  at  that  moment,  the  expected  stagecoach 
came  rattling  by.  With  quick  feminine  intuition,  Mamie 
caught  in  the  faces  of  the  driver  and  the  expressman,  and 
reflected  in  the  mischievous  eyes  of  her  companion,  a  pecu- 
liar interpretation  of  their  meeting,  that  was  not  removed 
by  the  whispered  assurance  of  the  editor  that  the  passen- 
gers were  anxiously  looking  back  "  to  see  the  shooting." 

The  young  Spaniard,  equally  oblivious  of  humor  or  curi- 
osity, remained  impassive. 

"  You  know  Mr.  Slinn,  of  the  l  Record/  "  said  Mamie, 
"  don't  you  ?  " 

Don  Caesar  had  never  before  met  the  Senor  Esslinn. 
He  was  under  the  impression  that  it  was  a  Senor  Robinson 
that  was  of  the  "  Record." 

"Oh I  he  was  shot,"  said  Slinn.  "I'm  taking  his 
place." 


278  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

"  Bueno  !     To  be  shot  too  ?     I  trust  not." 

Slinn  looked  quickly  and  sharply  into  Don  Caesar's 
grave  face.  He  seemed  to  be  incapable  of  any  double 
meaning.  However,  as  he  had  no  serious  reason  for  awak- 
ening Don  Caesar's  jealousy,  and  very  little  desire  to  be- 
come an  embarrassing  third  in  this  conversation,  and  possi- 
bly a  burden  to  the  young  lady,  he  proceeded  to  take  his 
leave  of  her. 

From  a  sudden  feminine  revulsion  of  sympathy,  or  from 
some  unintelligible  instinct  of  diplomacy,  Mamie  said,  as 
she  extended  her  hand,  "  I  hope  you  '11  find  a  home  for 
your  family  near  here.  Mamma  wants  pa  to  let  our  old 
house.  Perhaps  it  might  suit  you,  if  not  too  far  from 
your  work.  You  might  speak  to  ma  about  it." 

"  Thank  you  ;  I  will,"  responded  the  young  man,  press- 
ing her  hand  with  unaffected  cordiality. 

Don  Caesar  watched  him  until  he  had  disappeared  behind 
the  wayside  buckeyes. 

"  He  is  a  man  of  family  —  this  one  —  your  country- 
man ?  " 

It  seemed  strange  to  her  to  have  a  mere  acquaintance 
spoken  of  as  "her  countryman" — not  the  first  time  nor 
the  last  time  in  her  career.  As  there  appeared  no  trace  or 
sign  of  jealousy  in  her  questioner's  manner,  she  answered 
briefly  but  vaguely. 

"  Yes  ;  it 's  a  shocking  story.  His  father  disappeared 
some  years  ago,  and  he  has  just  found  him  —  a  helpless 
paralytic  —  in  the  Sacramento  Hospital.  He  '11  have  to 
support  him  —  and  they're  very  poor." 

"  So,  then,  they  are  not  independent  of  each  other  al- 
ways —  these  fathers  and  children  of  Americans !  " 

"  No,"  said  Mamie  shortly.  Without  knowing  why, 
she  felt  inclined  to  resent  Don  Caesar's  manner.  His  seri- 
ous gravity  — -  gentle  and  high-bred  as  it  was,  undoubtedly 
—  was  somewhat  trying  to  her  at  times,  and  seemed  even 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  279 

more  so  after  Slinn's  irreverent  humor.     She  picked  up  her 
parasol  a  little  impatiently,  as  if  to  go. 

But  Don  Caesar  had  already  dismounted,  and  tied  his 
horse  to  a  tree  with  a  strong  lariat  that  hung  at  his  saddle- 
bow. 

11  Let  us  walk  through  the  woods  towards  your  home. 
I  can  return  alone  for  the  horse  when  you  shall  dismiss 
me." 

They  turned  in  among  the  pines  that,  overcrowding  the 
hollow,  crept  partly  up  the  side  of  the  hill  of  Mulrady's 
shaft.  A  disused  trail,  almost  hidden  by  the  waxen-hued 
yerba  buena,  led  from  the  highway,  and  finally  lost  itself  in 
the  undergrowth.  It  was  a  lovers'  walk  ;  they  were  lovers, 
evidently,  and  yet  the  man  was  too  self-poised  in  his  grav- 
ity, the  young  woman  too  conscious  and  critical,  to  suggest 
an  absorbing  or  oblivious  passion. 

"  I  should  not  have  made  myself  so  obtrusive  to-day  be- 
fore your  friend,"  said  Don  Caesar,  with  proud  humility, 
"  but  I  could  not  understand  from  your  mother  whether 
you  were  alone  or  whether  my  company  was  desirable.  It 
is  of  this  I  have  now  to  speak,  Mamie.  Lately  your 
mother  has  seemed  strange  to  me  ;  avoiding  any  reference 
to  our  affection  ;  treating  it  lightly,  and  even  as  to-day,  I 
fancy,  putting  obstacles  in  the  way  of  our  meeting  alone. 
She  was  disappointed  at  your  return  from  Sacramento,  where, 
I  have  been  told,  she  intended  you  to  remain  until  you  left 
the  country ;  and  since  your  return  I  have  seen  you  but 
twice.  I  may  be  wrong.  Perhaps  I  do  not  comprehend 
the  American  mother  ;  I  have  —  who  knows  ?  —  perhaps 
offended  in  some  point  of  etiquette,  omitted  some  ceremony 
that  was  her  due.  But  when  you  told  me,  Mamie,  that 
it  was  not  necessary  to  speak  to  her  first,  that  it  was  not 
the  American  fashion  "  — 

Mamie  started,  and  blushed  slightly. 

"  Yes/'  she  said  hurriedly,  "  certainly  ;  but  ma  has  been 


280  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

quite  queer  of  late,  and  she  may  think  —  you  know  —  that 
since  —  since  there  has  been  so  much  property  to  dispose 
of,  she  ought  to  have  been  consulted. " 

"  Then  let  us  consult  her  at  once,  dear  child  !  And  as 
to  the  property,  in  Heaven's  name,  let  her  dispose  of  it  as 
she  will.  Saints  forbid  that  an  Alvarado  should  ever  inter- 
fere. And  what  is  it  to  us,  my  little  one  ?  Enough  that 
Dona  Mameta  Alvarado  will  never  have  less  state  than  the 
richest  bride  that  ever  came  to  Los  Gatos." 

Mamie  had  not  forgotten  that  scarcely  a  month  ago,  even 
had  she  loved  the  man  before  her  no  more  than  she  did  at 
present,  she  would  still  have  been  thrilled  with  delight  at 
these  words  !  Even  now  she  was  moved  —  conscious  as 
she  had  become  that  the  "  state  "  of  a  bride  of  the  Alva- 
rados  was  not  all  she  had  imagined,  and  that  the  bare  adobe 
court  of  Los  Gatos  was  open  to  the  sky  and  the  free  criti- 
cism of  Sacramento  capitalists ! 

"  Yes,  dear,"  she  murmured,  with  a  half-childlike  plea- 
sure, that  lit  up  her  face  and  eyes  so  innocently  that  it 
stopped  any  minute  investigation  into  its  origin  and  real 
meaning.  "  Yes,  dear  ;  but  we  need  not  have  a  fuss  made 
about  it  at  present,  and  perhaps  put  ma  against  us.  She 
would  n't  hear  of  our  marrying  now ;  and  she  might  forbid 
our  engagement." 

"  But  you  are  going  away." 

"  I  should  have  to  go  to  New  York  or  Europe  first,  you 
know,"  she  answered  naively,  "  even  if  it  were  all  settled. 
I  should  have  to  get  things !  One  could  n't  be  decent 
here." 

With  the  recollection  of  the  pink  cotton  gown,  in  which 
she  had  first  pledged  her  troth  to  him,  before  his  eyes  he 
said,  "  But  you  are  charming  now.  You  cannot  be  more 
so  to  me.  If  I  am  satisfied,  little  one,  with  you  as  you  are, 
let  us  go  together,  and  then  you  can  get  dresses  to  please 
others." 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF   ROUGH-AND-READY  281 

She  had  not  expected  this  importunity.  Really,  if  it 
came  to  this,  she  might  have  engaged  herself  to  some  one 
like  Slinn ;  he  at  least  would  have  understood  her.  He 
was  much  cleverer,  and  certainly  more  of  a  man  of  the 
world.  When  Slinn  had  treated  her  like  a  child,  it  was 
with  the  humorous  tolerance  of  an  admiring  superior,  and 
not  the  didactic  impulse  of  a  guardian.  She  did  not  say 
this,  nor  did  her  pretty  eyes  indicate  it,  as  in  the  instance 
of  her  brief  anger  with  Slinn.  She  only  said  gently  :  — 

"I  should  have  thought  you,  of  all  men,  would  have 
been  particular  about  your  wife  doing  the  proper  thing. 
But  never  mind!  Don't  let  us  talk  any  more  about  it. 
Perhaps,  as  it  seems  such  a  great  thing  to  you,  and  so 
much  trouble,  there  may  be  no  necessity  for  it  at  all." 

I  do  not  think  that  the  young  lady  deliberately  planned 
this  charmingly  illogical  deduction  from  Don  Caesar's  speech, 
or  that  she  calculated  its  effect  upon  him ;  but  it  was  part 
of  her  nature  to  say  it,  and  profit  by  it.  Under  the  unjust 
lash  of  it  his  pride  gave  way. 

"  Ah,  do  you  not  see  why  I  wish  to  go  with  you  ?  "  he 
said,  with  sudden  and  unexpected  passion.  "  You  are 
beautiful ;  you  are  good ;  it  has  pleased  Heaven  to  make 
you  rich  also ;  but  you  are  a  child  in  experience,  and  know 
not  your  own  heart.  With  your  beauty,  your  goodness, 
and  your  wealth,  you  will  attract  all  to  you  —  as  you  do 
here  —  because  you  cannot  help  it.  But  you  will  be  equally 
helpless,  little  one,  if  they  should  attract  you,  and  you  had 
no  tie  to  fall  back  upon.'7 

It  was  an  unfortunate  speech.  The  words  were  Don 
Csesar's ;  but  the  thought  she  had  heard  before  from  her 
mother,  although  the  deduction  had  been  of  a  very  different 
kind.  Mamie  followed  the  speaker  with  bright  but  visionary 
eyes.  There  must  be  some  truth  in  all  this.  Her  mother 
had  said  it;  Mr.  Slinn  had  laughingly  admitted  it.  She 
had  a  brilliant  future  before  her  !  Was  she  right  in  making 


282  A  MILLIONAIRE  OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

it  impossible  by  a  rash  and  foolish  tie  ?  He  himself  had 
said  she  was  inexperienced.  She  knew  it ;  and  yet,  what 
was  he  doing  now  but  taking  advantage  of  that  inexperience  ? 
If  he  really  loved  her,  he  would  be  willing  to  submit  to  the 
test.  She  did  not  ask  a  similar  one  from  him ;  and  was 
willing,  if  she  came  out  of  it  free,  to  marry  him  just  the 
same.  There  was  something  so  noble  in  this  thought  that 
she  felt  for  a  moment  carried  away  by  an  impulse  of  com- 
passionate unselfishness,  and  smiled  tenderly  as  she  looked 
up  in  his  face. 

"  Then  you  consent,  Mamie  ?  "  he  said  eagerly,  passing 
his  arm  around  her  waist. 

"Not  now,  Csesar,"  she  said,  gently  disengaging  herself. 
"  I  must  think  it  over ;  we  are  both  too  young  to  act  upon 
it  rashly ;  it  would  be  unfair  to  you,  who  are  so  quiet  and 
hava  seen  so  few  girls  —  I  mean  Americans  —  to  tie  yourself 
to  the  first  one  you  have  known.  When  I  am  gone  you 
will  go  more  into  the  world.  There  are  Mr.  Slinn's  two 
sisters  coming  here,  —  I  should  n't  wonder  if  they  were  far 
cleverer  and  talked  far  better  than  I  do,  —  and  think  how  I 
should  feel  if  I  knew  that  only  a  wretched  pledge  to  me 
kept  you  from  loving  them  !  "  She  stopped,  and  cast  down 
her  eyes. 

It  was  her  first  attempt  at  coquetry ;  for,  in  her  usual 
charming  selfishness  she  was  perfectly  frank  and  open ;  and 
it  might  not  have  been  her  last,  but  she  had  gone  too  far  at 
first,  and  was  not  prepared  for  a  recoil  of  her  own  argument. 

"If  you  admit  that  it  is  possible  —  that  it  is  possible  to 
you  !  "  he  said  quickly. 

She  saw  her  mistake.  "  We  may  not  have  many  oppor- 
tunities to  meet  alone/7  she  answered  quietly  ;  "  and  I  am 
sure  we  would  be  happier  when  we  meet  not  to  accuse  each 
other  of  impossibilities.  Let  us  rather  see  how  we  can 
communicate  together,  if  anything  should  prevent  our  meet- 
ing. Remember,  it  was  only  by  chance  that  you  were  able 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  283 

to  see  me  now.  If  ma  has  believed  that  she  ought  to  have 
been  consulted,  our  meeting  together  in  this  secret  way  will 
only  make  matters  worse.  She  is  even  now  wondering 
where  I  am,  and  may  be  suspicious.  I  must  go  back  at  once. 
At  any  moment  some  one  may  come  here  looking  for  me." 

"  But  I  have  so  much  to  say/7  he  pleaded.  "  Our  time 
has  been  so  short." 

"  You  can  write." 

"  But  what  will  your  mother  think  of  that  ?  "  he  said  in 
grave  astonishment. 

She  colored  again  as  she  returned  quickly  :  "  Of  course, 
you  must  not  write  to  the  house.  You  can  leave  a  letter 
somewhere  for  me  —  say,  somewhere  about  here.  Stop!" 
she  added,  with  a  sudden  girlish  gayety,  t(  see,  here 's  the 
very  place.  Look  there  !  " 

She  pointed  to  the  decayed  trunk  of  a  blasted  sycamore, 
a  few  feet  from  the  trail.  A  cavity,  breast  high,  half  filled 
with  skeleton  leaves  and  pine-nuts,  showed  that  it  had 
formerly  been  a  squirrel's  hoard,  but  for  some  reason  had 
been  deserted. 

"  Look  !  it  ?s  a  regular  letter-box,"  she  continued  gayly, 
rising  on  tiptoe  to  peep  into  its  recesses.  Don  Caesar  looked 
at  her  admiringly ;  it  seemed  like  a  return  to  their  first 
idyllic  love-making  in  the  old  days,  when  she  used  to  steal 
out  of  the  cabbage  rows  in  her  brown  linen  apron  and  sun- 
bonnet  to  walk  with  him  in  the  woods.  He  recalled  the 
fact  to  her  with  the  fatality  of  a  lover  already  seeking  to 
restore  in  past  recollections  something  that  was  wanting  in 
the  present.  She  received  it  with  the  impatience  of  youth, 
to  whom  the  present  is  all  sufficient. 

"  I  wonder  how  you  could  ever  have  cared  for  me  in  that 
holland  apron,"  she  said,  looking  down  upon  her  new  dress. 

"  Shall  I  tell  you  why  ? "  he  said  fondly,  passing  his 
arm  around  her  waist,  and  drawing  her  pretty  head  nearer 
his  shoulder. 


284  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF   ROUGH-AND-READY 

"  No  —  not  now  !  "  she  said  laughingly,  but  struggling 
to  free  herself.  "  There  7s  not  time.  Write  it,  and  put  it 
in  the  box.  There,"  she  added  hastily,  "  listen !  —  what 's 
that  ?  » 

"  It 's  only  a  squirrel,"  he  whispered  reassuringly  in 
her  ear. 

"No;  it's  somebody  coming!  I  must  go!  Please! 
Caesar,  dear  !  There,  then  "  — 

She  met  his  kiss  halfway,  released  herself  with  a  lithe 
movement  of  her  wrist  and  shoulder,  and  the  next  mo- 
ment seemed  to  slip  into  the  woods,  and  was  gone. 

Don  Caesar  listened  with  a  sigh  as  the  last  rustling 
ceased,  cast  a  look  at  the  decayed  tree  as  if  to  fix  it  in  his 
memory,  and  then  slowly  retraced  his  steps  towards  his 
tethered  mustang. 

He  was  right,  however,  in  his  surmise  of  the  cause  of 
that  interruption.  A  pair  of  bright  eyes  had  been  watch- 
ing them  from  the  bough  of  an  adjacent  tree.  It  was  a 
squirrel,  who,  having  had  serious  and  prior  intentions  of 
making  use  of  the  cavity  they  had  discovered,  had  only 
withheld  examination  by  an  apparent  courteous  discretion 
towards  the  intruding  pair.  Now  that  they  were  gone  he 
slipped  down  the  tree  and  ran  towards  the  decayed  stump. 


CHAPTER   III 

APPARENTLY  dissatisfied  with  the  result  of  an  investi- 
gation, which  proved  that  the  cavity  was  unfit  as  a  treasure 
hoard  for  a  discreet  squirrel,  whatever  its  value  as  a  recep- 
tacle for  the  love-tokens  of  incautious  humanity,  the  little 
animal  at  once  set  about  to  put  things  in  order.  He  began 
by  whisking  out  an  immense  quantity  of  dead  leaves,  dis- 
turbed a  family  of  tree-spiders,  dissipated  a  drove  of  patient 
aphides  browsing  in  the  bark,  as  well  as  their  attendant 
dairymen,  the  ants,  and  otherwise  ruled  it  with  the  high 
hand  of  dispossession  and  a  contemptuous  opinion  of  the 
previous  incumbents.  It  must  not  be  supposed,  however, 
that  his  proceedings  were  altogether  free  from  contempo- 
raneous criticism  ;  a  venerable  crow  sitting  on  a  branch 
above  him  displayed  great  interest  in  his  occupation,  and, 
hopping  down  a  few  moments  afterwards,  disposed  of  some 
worm-eaten  nuts,  a  few  larvae,  and  an  insect  or  two,  with 
languid  dignity  and  without  prejudice.  Certain  incum- 
brances,  however,  still  resisted  the  squirrel's  general  evic- 
tion ;  among  them  a  folded  square  of  paper  with  sharply 
defined  edges,  that  declined  investigation,  and,  owing  to  a 
nauseous  smell  of  tobacco,  escaped  nibbling  as  it  had  appar- 
ently escaped  insect  ravages.  This,  owing  to  its  sharp 
angles,  which  persisted  in  catching  in  the  soft  decaying 
wood  in  his  whirlwind  of  house-cleaning,  he  allowed  to  re- 
main. Having  thus,  in  a  general  way,  prepared  for  the 
coming  winter,  the  self-satisfied  little  rodent  dismissed  the 
subject  from  his  active  mind. 

His  rage  and  indignation  a  few  days  later  may  be  readily 


286  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH- AND-READY 

conceived,  when  he  found,  on  returning  to  his  new-made 
home,  another  square  of  paper,  folded  like  the  first,  but 
much  fresher  and  whiter,  lying  within  the  cavity,  on  top 
of  some  moss  which  had  evidently  been  placed  there  for 
the  purpose.  This  he  felt  was  really  more  than  he  could 
bear  5  but  as  it  was  smaller,  with  a  few  energetic  kicks  and 
whisks  of  his  tail  he  managed  to  finally  dislodge  it  through 
the  opening,  where  it  fell  ignominiously  to  the  earth. 
The  eager  eyes  of  the  ever  attendant  crow,  however,  in- 
stantly detected  it ;  he  flew  to  the  ground,  and,  turning  it 
over,  examined  it  gravely.  It  was  certainly  not  edible, 
but  it  was  exceedingly  rare,  and,  as  an  old  collector  of 
curios,  he  felt  he  could  not  pass  it  by.  He  lifted  it  in  his 
beak,  and,  with  a  desperate  struggle  against  the  superin- 
cumbent weight,  regained  the  branch  with  his  prize.  Here, 
by  one  of  those  delicious  vagaries  of  animal  nature,  he  ap- 
parently at  once  discharged  his  mind  of  the  whole  affair, 
became  utterly  oblivious  of  it,  allowed  it  to  drop  without 
the  least  concern,  and  eventually  flew  away  with  an  ab- 
stracted air,  as  if  he  had  been  another  bird  entirely.  The 
paper  got  into  a  manzanita  bush,  where  it  remained  sus- 
pended until  the  evening,  when,  being  dislodged  by  a 
passing  wildcat  on  its  way  to  Mulrady's  hen-roost,  it  gave 
that  delicately  sensitive  marauder  such  a  turn  that  she  fled 
into  the  adjacent  county. 

But  the  troubles  of  the  squirrel  were  not  yet  over.  On 
the  following  day  the  young  man  who  had  accompanied  the 
young  woman  returned  to  the  trunk,  and  the  squirrel  had 
barely  time  to  make  his  escape  before  the  impatient  visitor 
approached  the  opening  of  the  cavity,  peered  into  it,  and  even 
passed  his  hand  through  its  recesses.  The  delight  visible 
upon  his  anxious  and  serious  face  at  the  disappearance  of 
the  letter,  and  the  apparent  proof  that  it  had  been  called 
for,  showed  him  to  have  been  its  original  depositor,  and 
probably  awakened  a  remorseful  recollection  in  the  dark 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  287 

bosom  of  the  omnipresent  crow,  who  uttered  a  conscience- 
stricken  croak  from  the  bough  above  him.  But  the  young 
man  quickly  disappeared  again,  and  the  squirrel  was  once 
more  left  in  undisputed  possession. 

A  week  passed.  A  weary,  anxious  interval  to  Don  Caesar, 
who  had  neither  seen  nor  heard  from  Mamie  since  their  last 
meeting.  Too  conscious  of  his  own  self-respect  to  call  at 
the  house  after  the  equivocal  conduct  of  Mrs.  Mulrady,  and 
too  proud  to  haunt  the  lanes  and  approaches  in  the  hope  of 
meeting  her  daughter,  like  an  ordinary  lover,  he  hid  his 
gloomy  thoughts  in  the  monastic  shadows  of  the  courtyard 
at  Los  Gatos,  or  found  relief  in  furious  riding  at  night  and 
early  morning  on  the  highway.  Once  or  twice  the  up  stage 
had  been  overtaken  and  passed  by  a  rushing  figure  as 
shadowy  as  a  phantom  horseman,  with  only  the  star-like 
point  of  a  cigarette  to  indicate  its  humanity.  It  was  in  one 
of  these  fierce  recreations  that  he  was  obliged  to  stop  in 
early  morning  at  the  blacksmith's  shop  at  Rough-and-Ready, 
to  have  a  loosened  horseshoe  replaced,  and  while  waiting 
picked  up  a  newspaper.  Don  Caesar  seldom  read  the  papers ; 
but  noticing  that  this  was  the  "  Record,"  he  glanced  at  its 
columns.  A  familiar  name  suddenly  flashed  out  of  the  dark 
type  like  a  spark  from  the  anvil.  With  a  brain  and  heart 
that  seemed  to  be  beating  in  unison  with  the  blacksmith's 
sledge,  he  read  as  follows  :  — 

"  Our  distinguished  fellow  townsman,  Alvin  Mulrady, 
Esq.,  left  town  day  before  yesterday  to  attend  an  important 
meeting  of  directors  of  the  Red  Dog  Ditch  Company,  in 
San  Francisco.  Society  will  regret  to  hear  that  Mrs.  Mul- 
rady and  her  beautiful  and  accomplished  daughter,  who 
were  expecting  to  depart  for  Europe  at  the  end  of  the 
month,  anticipated  the  event  nearly  a  fortnight,  by  taking 
this  opportunity  of  accompanying  Mr.  Mulrady  as  far  as 
San  Francisco,  on  their  way  to  the  East.  Mrs.  and  Miss 
Mulrady  intend  to  visit  London,  Paris,  and  Berlin,  and 


288  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

will  be  absent  three  years.  It  is  possible  that  Mr.  Mul- 
rady  may  join  them  later  at  one  or  other  of  those  capitals. 
Considerable  disappointment  is  felt  that  a  more  extended 
leave-taking  was  not  possible,  and  that,  under  the  circum- 
stances, no  opportunity  was  offered  for  a  '  send-off '  suitable 
to  the  condition  of  the  parties  and  the  esteem  in  which  they 
are  held  in  Rough-and-Ready." 

The  paper  dropped  from  his  hands.  Gone  !  and  without 
a  word  !  No,  that  was  impossible  !  There  must  be  some 
mistake  ;  she  had  written  ;  the  letter  had  miscarried ;  she 
must  have  sent  word  to  Los  Gatos,  and  the  stupid  messen- 
ger had  blundered ;  she  had  probably  appointed  another 
meeting,  or  expected  him  to  follow  to  San  Francisco.  "  The 
day  before  yesterday  !  "  It  was  the  morning's  paper  —  she 
had  been  gone  scarcely  two  days  —  it  was  not  too  late  yet  to 
receive  a  delayed  message  by  post,  by  some  forgetful  hand 
—  by  —  ah  —  the  tree  ! 

Of  course  it  was  in  the  tree,  and  he  had  not  been  there 
for  a  week  !  Why  had  he  not  thought  of  it  before  ?  The 
fault  was  his,  not  hers.  Perhaps  she  had  gone  away,  be- 
lieving him  faithless,  or  a  country  boor. 

"  In  the  name  of  the  Devil,  will  you  keep  me  here  till 
eternity  !  " 

The  blacksmith  stared  at  him.  Don  CaBsar  suddenly 
remembered  that  he  was  speaking,  as  he  was  thinking  —  in 
Spanish. 

"  Ten  dollars,  my  friend,  if  you  have  done  in  five  min- 
utes ! " 

The  man  laughed.  "  That 's  good  enough  American," 
he  said,  beginning  to  quicken  his  efforts.  Don  Csesar  again 
took  up  the  paper.  There  was  another  paragraph  that  re- 
called his  last  interview  with  Mamie  :  — 

"  Mr.  Harry  Slinn,  Jr.,  the  editor  of  this  paper,  has  just 
moved  into  the  pioneer  house  formerly  occupied  by  Alvin 
Mulrady,  Esq.,  which  has  already  become  historic  in  the 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  289 

annals  of  the  county.  Mr.  Slinn  brings  with  him  his 
father  —  H.  J.  Slinn,  Esq.  —  and  his  two  sisters.  Mr. 
Slinn,  Sr.,  who  has  been  suffering  for  many  years  from 
complete  paralysis,  we  understand  is  slowly  improving ; 
and  it  is  by  the  advice  of  his  physicians  that  he  has  chosen 
the  invigorating  air  of  the  foot-hills  as  a  change  to  the 
debilitating  heat  of  Sacramento." 

The  affair  had  been  quickly  settled,  certainly,  reflected 
Don  Csesar,  with  a  slight  chill  of  jealousy,  as  he  thought  of 
Mamie's  interest  in  the  young  editor.  But  the  next  mo- 
ment he  dismissed  it  from  his  mind  ;  all  except  a  dull  con- 
sciousness that,  if  she  really  loved  him  —  Don  Caesar  —  as 
he  loved  her,  she  could  not  have  assisted  in  throwing  into 
his  society  the  two  young  sisters  of  the  editor,  whom  she 
expected  might  be  so  attractive. 

Within  the  five  minutes  the  horse  was  ready,  and  Don 
Caesar  in  the  saddle  again.  In  less  than  half  an  hour  he 
was  at  the  wayside  boulder.  Here  he  picketed  his  horse, 
and  took  the  narrow  foot-trail  through  the  hollow.  It  did 
not  take  him  long  to  reach  their  old  trysting-place.  With 
a  beating  heart  he  approached  the  decaying  trunk  and  looked 
into  the  cavity.  There  was  no  letter  there  ! 

A  few  blackened  nuts  and  some  of  the  dry  moss  he  had 
put  there  were  lying  on  the  ground  at  its  roots.  He  could 
not  remember  whether  they  were  there  when  he  had  last 
visited  the  spot.  He  began  to  grope  in  the  cavity  with 
both  hands.  His  fingers  struck  against  the  sharp  angles  of 
a  flat  paper  packet ;  a  thrill  of  joy  ran  through  them  and 
stopped  his  beating  heart ;  he  drew  out  the  hidden  object, 
and  was  chilled  with  disappointment. 

It  was  an  ordinary-sized  envelope  of  yellowish-brown 
paper,  bearing,  besides  the  usual  government  stamp,  the 
official  legend  of  an  express  company,  and  showing  its  age 
as  much  by  this  record  of  a  now  obsolete  carrying  service  as 
by  the  discoloration  of  time  and  atmosphere.  Its  weight, 


290  A  MILLIONAIRE  OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

which  was  heavier  than  that  of  an  ordinary  letter  of  the 
same  size  and  thickness,  was  evidently  due  to  some  loose 
inclosures,  that  slightly  rustled  and  could  be  felt  by  the 
fingers,  like  minute  pieces  of  metal  or  grains  of  gravel.  It 
was  within  Don  Caesar's  experience  that  gold  specimens 
were  often  sent  in  that  manner.  It  was  in  a  state  of  singu- 
lar preservation,  except  the  address,  which,  being  written 
in  pencil,  was  scarcely  discernible,  and  even  when  deciphered 
appeared  to  be  incoherent  and  unfinished.  The  unknown 
correspondent  had  written  "  dear  Mary,"  and  then  "  Mrs. 
Mary  Slinn,"  with  an  unintelligible  scrawl  following  for 
the  direction.  If  Don  Caesar's  mind  had  not  been  lately 
preoccupied  with  the  name  of  the  editor,  he  would  hardly 
have  guessed  the  superscription. 

In  his  cruel  disappointment  and  fully  aroused  indigna- 
tion, he  at  once  began  to  suspect  a  connection  of  circum- 
stances which  at  any  other  moment  he  would  have  thought 
purely  accidental,  or  perhaps  not  have  considered  at  all. 
The  cavity  in  the  tree  had  evidently  been  used  as  a  secret 
receptacle  for  letters  before;  did  Mamie  know  it  at  the 
time,  and  how  did  she  know  it  ?  The  apparent  age  of  the 
letter  made  it  preposterous  to  suppose  that  it  pointed  to  any 
secret  correspondence  of  hers  with  young  Mr.  Slinn ;  and 
the  address  was  not  in  her  handwriting.  Was  there  any 
secret  previous  intimacy  between  the  families  ?  There  was 
but  one  way  in  which  he  could  connect  this  letter  with 
Mamie's  faithlessness.  It  was  an  infamous,  a  grotesquely 
horrible  idea,  a  thought  which  sprang  as  much  from  his  in- 
experience of  the  world  and  his  habitual  suspiciousness  of 
all  humor  as  anything  else  !  It  was  that  the  letter  was  a 
brutal  joke  of  Slum's  —  a  joke  perhaps  concocted  by  Mamie 
and  himself  —  a  parting  insult  that  should  at  the  last 
moment  proclaim  their  treachery  and  his  own  credulity. 
Doubtless  it  contained  a  declaration  of  their  shame,  and  the 
reason  why  she  had  fled  from  him  without  a  word  of  expla- 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF   ROUGH-AND-READY  291 

nation.  And  the  inclosure,  of  course,  was  some  significant 
and  degrading  illustration.  Those  Americans  were  full  of 
those  low  conceits ;  it  was  their  national  vulgarity. 

He  held  the  letter  in  his  angry  hand.  He  could  break 
it  open  if  he  wished,  and  satisfy  himself  ;  but  it  was  not 
addressed  to  him)  and  the  instinct  of  honor,  strong  even 
in  his  rage,  was  the  instinct  of  an  adversary  as  well.  No  ; 
Slinn  should  open  the  letter  before  him.  Slinn  should 
explain  everything,  and  answer  for  it.  If  it  was  nothing  — 
a  mere  accident  —  it  would  lead  to  some  general  explana- 
tion, and  perhaps  even  news  of  Mamie.  But  he  would 
arraign  Slinn,  and  at  once.  He  put  the  letter  in  his  pocket, 
quickly  retraced  his  steps  to  his  horse,  and,  putting  spurs 
to  the  animal,  followed  the  highroad  to  the  gate  of  Mul- 
rady's  pioneer  cabin. 

He  remembered  it  well  enough.  To  a  cultivated  taste, 
it  was  superior  to  the  more  pretentious  "  new  house.7'  Dur- 
ing the  first  year  of  Mulrady's  tenancy,  the  plain  square 
log-cabin  had  received  those  additions  and  attractions  which 
only  a  tenant  can  conceive  and  actual  experience  suggest ; 
and  in  this  way  the  hideous  right  angles  were  broken  with 
sheds,  "  lean-to "  extensions,  until  a  certain  picturesque- 
ness  was  given  to  the  irregularity  of  outline,  and  a  home- 
like security  and  companionship  to  the  congregated  buildings. 
It  typified  the  former  life  of  the  great  capitalist,  as  the  tall 
new  house  illustrated  the  loneliness  and  isolation  that 
wealth  had  given  him.  But  the  real  points  of  vantage 
were  the  years  of  cultivation  and  habitation  that  had 
warmed  and  enriched  the  soil,  and  evoked  the  climbing 
vines  and  roses  that  already  hid  its  unpainted  boards, 
rounded  its  hard  outlines,  and  gave  projection  and  shadow 
from  the  pitiless  glare  of  a  summer's  long  sun,  or  broke  the 
steady  beating  of  the  winter  rains.  It  was  true  that  pea 
and  bean  poles  surrounded  it  on  one  side,  and  the  only 
access  to  the  house  was  through  the  cabbage  rows  that  once 


292  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

were  the  pride  and  sustenance  of  the  Mulradys.  It  was 
this  fact,  more  than  any  other,  that  had  impelled  Mrs.  Mul- 
rady  to  abandon  its  site  ;  she  did  not  like  to  read  the  his- 
tory of  their  humble  origin  reflected  in  the  faces  of  their 
visitors  as  they  entered. 

Don  Caesar  tied  his  horse  to  the  fence,  and  hurriedly  ap- 
proached the  house.  The  door,  however,  hospitably  opened 
when  he  was  a  few  paces  from  it,  and  when  he  reached  the 
threshold  he  found  himself  unexpectedly  in  the  presence 
of  two  pretty  girls.  They  were  evidently  Slinn's  sisters, 
whom  he  had  neither  thought  of  nor  included  in  the  meet- 
ing he  had  prepared.  In  spite  of  his  preoccupation,  he  felt 
himself  suddenly  embarrassed,  not  only  by  the  actual  dis- 
tinction of  their  beauty,  but  by  a  kind  of  likeness  that  they 
seemed  to  bear  to  Mamie. 

"  We  saw  you  coming,"  said  the  elder  unaffectedly. 
"  You  are  Don  Caesar  Alvarado.  My  brother  has  spoken 
of  you." 

The  words  recalled  Don  Caesar  to  himself  and  a  sense 
of  courtesy.  He  was  not  here  to  quarrel  with  these  fair 
strangers  at  their  first  meeting ;  he  must  seek  Slinn  else- 
where, and  at  another  time.  The  frankness  of  his  re- 
ception and  the  allusion  to  their  brother  made  it  appear 
impossible  that  they  should  be  either  a  party  to  his  disap- 
pointment, or  even  aware  of  it.  His  excitement  melted 
away  before  a  certain  lazy  ease  which  the  consciousness  of 
their  beauty  seemed  to  give  them.  He  was  able  to  put 
a  few  courteous  inquiries,  and,  thanks  to  the  paragraph  in 
the  "  Kecord,"  to  congratulate  them  upon  their  father's 
improvement. 

"  Oh,  pa  is  a  great  deal  better  in  his  health,  and  has 
picked  up  even  in  the  last  few  days,  so  that  he  is  able  to 
walk  round  with  crutches,"  said  the  elder  sister.  "  The 
air  here  seems  to  invigorate  him  wonderfully." 

"And  you  know,  Esther,"  said  the  younger,  "I  think 


A  MILLIONAIKE  OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  293 

he  begins  to  take  more  notice  of  things,  especially  when  he 
is  out  of  doors.  He  looks  around  on  the  scenery,  and  his 
eye  brightens,  as  if  he  knew  all  about  it ;  and  sometimes 
he  knits  his  brows,  and  looks  down  so,  as  if  he  was  try- 
ing to  remember/' 

"  You  know,  I  suppose,"  explained  Esther,  "  that  since 
his  seizure  his  memory  has  been  a  blank  —  that  is,  three  or 
four  years  of  his  life  seem  to  have  been  dropped  out  of  his 
recollection." 

"  It  might  be  a  mercy  sometimes,  senora,"  said  Don 
Caesar,  with  a  grave  sigh,  as  he  looked  at  the  delicate  fea- 
tures before  him,  which  recalled  the  face  of  the  absent 
Mamie. 

"  That  ?s  not  very  complimentary,"  said  the  younger  girl 
laughingly  ;  "  for  pa  did  n't  recognize  us,  and  only  remem- 
bered us  as  little  girls." 

"  Vashti !  "  interrupted  Esther  rebukingly  ;  then,  turn- 
ing to  Don  Caesar,  she  added,  "  My  sister,  Vashti,  means 
that  father  remembers  more  what  happened  before  he  came 
to  California,  when  we  were  quite  young,  than  he  does 
of  the  interval  that  elapsed.  Dr.  Duchesne  says  it 's  a  sin- 
gular case.  He  thinks  that,  with  his  present  progress,  he 
will  recover  the  perfect  use  of  his  limbs ;  though  his  mem- 
ory may  never  come  back  again." 

"  Unless  —  You  forget  what  the  doctor  told  us  this 
morning,"  interrupted  Vashti  again  briskly. 

"I  was  going  to  say  it,"  said  Esther  a  little  curtly. 
"  Unless  he  has  another  stroke.  Then  he  will  either  die  or 
recover  his  mind  entirely." 

Don  Cassar  glanced  at  the  bright  faces,  a  trifle  heightened 
in  color  by  their  eager  recital  and  the  slight  rivalry  of  nar- 
ration, and  looked  grave.  He  was  a  little  shocked  at  a 
certain  lack  of  sympathy  and  tenderness  towards  their 
unhappy  parent.  They  seemed  to  him  not  only  to  have 
caught  that  dry,  curious  toleration  of  helplessness  which 


294  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

characterizes  even  relationship  in  its  attendance  upon  chronic 
suffering  and  weakness,  but  to  have  acquired  an  unconscious 
habit  of  turning  it  to  account.  In  his  present  sensitive 
condition,  he  even  fancied  that  they  flirted  mildly  over  their 
parent's  infirmity. 

"  My  brother  Harry  has  gone  to  Red  Dog,"  continued 
Esther  ;  "  he  '11  be  right  sorry  to  have  missed  you.  Mrs. 
Mulrady  spoke  to  him  about  you ;  you  seem  to  have  been 
great  friends.  I  s'pose  you  knew  her  daughter,  Mamie ;  I 
hear  she  is  very  pretty." 

Although  Don  Caesar  was  now  satisfied  that  the  Slinns 
knew  nothing  of  Mamie's  singular  behavior  to  him,  he  felt 
embarrassed  by  this  conversation.  "  Miss  Mulrady  is  very 
pretty,"  he  said,  with  grave  courtesy  ;  "  it  is  a  custom  of  her 
race.  She  left  suddenly,"  he  added,  with  affected  calmness. 

"I  reckon  she  did  calculate  to  stay  here  longer  —  so  her 
mother  said ;  but  the  whole  thing  was  settled  a  week  ago. 
I  know  my  brother  was  quite  surprised  to  hear  from  Mr. 
Mulrady  that  if  we  were  going  to  decide  about  this  house 
we  must  do  it  at  once  ;  he  had  an  idea  himself  about  moving 
out  of  the  big  one  into  this  when  they  left." 

"Mamie  Mulrady  hadn't  much  to  keep  her  here,  consid- 
erin'  the  money  and  the  good  looks  she  has,  I  reckon,"  said 
Vashti.  "  She  is  n't  the  sort  of  girl  to  throw  herself  away 
in  the  wilderness,  when  she  can  pick  and  choose  elsewhere. 
I  only  wonder  she  ever  come  back  from  Sacramento.  They 
talk  about  papa  Mulrady  having  business  at  San  Francisco, 
and  that  hurrying  them  off!  Depend  upon  it  that  'business' 
was  Mamie  herself.  Her  wish  is  gospel  to  them.  If  she  'd 
wanted  to  stay  and  have  a  farewell  party,  old  Mulrady's 
business  would  have  been  nowhere." 

"  Ain't  you  a  little  rough  on  Mamie,"  said  Esther,  who 
had  been  quietly  watching  the  young  man's  face  with  her 
large,  languid  eyes,  "  considering  that  we  don't  know  her, 
and  have  n't  even  the  right  of  friends  to  criticise  ?  " 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF   ROUGH-AND-READY  295 

"I  don't  call  it  rough,"  returned  Vashti  frankly,  "for 
I  'd  do  the  same  if  I  were  in  her  shoes  —  and  they  're  f  our- 
and-a-halves,  for  Harry  told  me  so.  Give  me  her  money 
and  her  looks,  and  you  would  n't  catch  me  hanging  round 
these  diggings  —  goin'  to  choir  meetings  Saturdays,  church 
Sundays,  and  buggy-riding  once  a  month  —  for  society ! 
No  —  Mamie's  head  was  level  —  you  bet !  " 

Don  Caesar  rose  hurriedly.  They  would  present  his 
compliments  to  their  father,  and  he  would  endeavor  to  find 
their  brother  at  Red  Dog.  He,  alas !  had  neither  father, 
mother,  nor  sister ;  but  if  they  would  receive  his  aunt,  the 
Dona  Inez  Sepulvida,  the  next  Sunday,  when  she  came  from 
mass,  she  should  be  honored  and  he  would  be  delighted.  It 
required  all  his  self-possession  to  deliver  himself  of  this 
formal  courtesy  before  he  could  take  his  leave,  and  on  the 
back  of  his  mustang  give  way  to  the  rage,  disgust,  and  hatred 
of  everything  connected  with  Mamie  that  filled  his  heart. 
Conscious  of  his  disturbance,  but  not  entirely  appreciating 
their  own  share  in  it,  the  two  girls  somewhat  wickedly  pro- 
longed the  interview  by  following  him  into  the  garden. 

"Well,  if  you  must  leave  now/'  said  Esther  at  last, 
languidly,  "it  ain't  much  out  of  your  way  to  go  down 
through  the  garden  and  take  a  look  at  pa  as  you  go.  He  's 
somewhere  down  there,  near  the  woods,  and  we  don't  like 
to  leave  him  alone  too  long.  You  might  pass  the  time  of 
day  with  him  ;  see  if  he  's  right  side  up.  Vashti  and  I  have 
got  a  heap  of  things  to  fix  here  yet ;  but  if  anything 's  wrong 
with  him,  you  can  call  us.  So  long." 

Don  CaBsar  was  about  to  excuse  himself  hurriedly  ;  but 
that  sudden  and  acute  perception  of  all  kindred  sorrow, 
which  belongs  to  refined  suffering,  checked  his  speech. 
The  loneliness  of  the  helpless  old  man  in  this  atmosphere 
of  active  and  youthful  selfishness  touched  him.  He  bowed 
assent,  and  turned  aside  into  one  of  the  long  perspectives  of 
bean-poles.  The  girls  watched  him  until  out  of  sight. 


296  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

"Well,"  said  Vashti,  "don't  tell  me.  But  if  there 
was  n't  something  between  him  and  that  Mamie  Mulrady, 
I  don't  know  a  jilted  man  when  I  see  him." 

"  Well,  you  need  n't  have  let  him  see  that  you  knew  it, 
so  that  any  civility  of  ours  would  look  as  if  we  were  ready 
to  take  up  with  her  leavings,"  responded  Esther  astutely, 
as  the  girls  reentered  the  house. 

Meantime,  the  unconscious  object  of  their  criticism  walked 
sadly  down  the  old  market-garden,  whose  rude  outlines  and 
homely  details  he  once  clothed  with  the  poetry  of  a  sensitive 
man's  first  love.  Well,  it  was  a  common  cabbage  field  and 
potato  patch  after  all.  In  his  disgust  he  felt  conscious  of  even 
the  loss  of  that  sense  of  patronage  and  superiority  which 
had  invested  his  affection  for  a  girl  of  meaner  condition. 
His  self-respect  was  humiliated  with  his  love.  The  soil 
and  dirt  of  those  wretched  cabbages  had  clung  to  him,  but 
not  to  her.  It  was  she  who  had  gone  higher ;  it  \ws  he 
who  was  left  in  the  vulgar  ruins  of  his  misplaced  passion. 

He  reached  the  bottom  of  the  garden  without  observing 
any  sign  of  the  lonely  invalid.  He  looked  up  and  down 
the  cabbage  rows,  and  through  the  long  perspective  of  pea- 
vines,  without  result.  There  was  a  newer  trail  leading 
from  a  gap  in  the  pines  to  the  wooded  hollow,  which  un- 
doubtedly intersected  the  little  path  that  he  and  Mamie 
had  once  followed  from  the  highroad.  If  the  old  man 
had  taken  this  trail  he  had  possibly  overtasked  his  strength, 
and  there  was  the  more  reason  why  he  should  continue  his 
search,  and  render  any  assistance  if  required.  There  was 
another  idea  that  occurred  to  him,  which  eventually  decided 
him  to  go  on.  It  was  that  both  these  trails  led  to  the  de- 
cayed sycamore  stump,  and  that  the  older  Slinn  might  have 
something  to  do  with  the  mysterious  letter.  Quickening 
his  steps  through  the  field,  he  entered  the  hollow,  and 
reached  the  intersecting  trail  as  he  expected.  To  the  right 
it  lost  itself  in  the  dense  woods  in  the  direction  of  the 


.       A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  297 

ominous  stump  ;  to  the  left  it  descended  in  nearly  a  straight 
line  to  the  highway,  now  plainly  visible,  as  was  equally 
the  houlder  on  which  he  had  last  discovered  Mamie  sitting 
with  young  Slinn.  If  he  was  not  mistaken,  there  was  a 
figure  sitting  there  now ;  it  was  surely  a  man.  And  by 
that  half-bowed,  helpless  attitude,  the  object  of  his  search  ! 

It  did  not  take  him  long  to  descend  the  track  to  the 
highway  and  approach  the  stranger.  He  was  seated  with 
his  hands  upon  his  knee,  gazing  in  a  vague,  absorbed  fash- 
ion upon  the  hillside,  now  crowned  with  the  engine-house 
and  chimney  that  marked  the  site  of  Mulrady's  shaft.  He 
started  slightly,  and  looked  up,  as  Don  Ceesar  paused  before 
him.  The  young  man  was  surprised  to  see  that  the  unfor- 
tunate man  was  not  as  old  as  he  had  expected,  and  that  his 
expression  was  one  of  quiet  and  beatified  contentment. 

"  Your  daughters  told  me  you  were  here,"  said  Don 
Csesar,  with  gentle  respect.  "I  am  Caesar  Alvarado,  your 
not  very  far  neighbor ;  very  happy  to  pay  his  respects  to 
you  as  he  has  to  them." 

"My  daughters?"  said  the  old  man  vaguely.  •"Oh 
yes  !  nice  little  girls.  And  my  boy  Harry.  Did  you  see 
Harry  ?  Fine  little  fellow,  Harry." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  you  are  better,"  said  Don 
Csesar  hastily,  "  and  that  the  air  of  our  country  does  you 
no  harm.  God  benefit  you,  senor,"  he  added,  with  a  pro- 
foundly reverential  gesture,  dropping  unconsciously  into 
the  religious  hat>it  of  his  youth.  "  May  He  protect  you, 
and  bring  you  back  to  health  and  happiness  !  " 

"  Happiness  ?  "  said  Slinn  amazedly.  "  I  am  happy  — 
very  happy  !  I  have  everything  I  want :  good  air,  good 
food,  good  clothes,  pretty  little  children,  kind  friends "  — 
He  smiled  benignantly  at  Don  Caesar.  "  God  is  very  good 
to  me  ! " 

Indeed,  he  seemed  very  happy ;  and  his  face,  albeit 
crowned  with  white  hair,  unmarked  by  care  and  any  dis- 


298  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

turbing  impression,  had  so  much  of  satisfied  youth  in  it 
that  the  grave  features  of  his  questioner  made  him  appear 
the  elder.  Nevertheless,  Don  Csesar  noticed  that  his  eyes, 
when  withdrawn  from  him,  sought  the  hillside  with  the 
same  visionary  abstraction. 

"  It  is  a  fine  view,  Senor  Esslinn,"  said  Don  Csesar. 

"  It  is  a  beautiful  view,  sir,"  said  Slinn,  turning  his 
happy  eyes  upon  him  for  a  moment,  only  to  rest  them 
again  on  the  green  slope  opposite. 

"  Beyond  that  hill  which  you  are  looking  at  —  not  far, 
Senor  Esslinn  —  I  live.  You  shall  come  and  see  me 
there  —  you  and  your  family." 

"  You — you  —  live  there?"  stammered  the  invalid, 
with  a  troubled  expression  —  the  first  and  only  change  to 
the  complete  happiness  that  had  hitherto  suffused  his 
face.  "  You  — and  your  name  is  —  is  Ma  "  — 

"  Alvarado,"  said  Don  Csesar  gently.  "  Caesar  Alva- 
rado." 

"  You  said  Masters,"  said  the  old  man,  with  sudden 
querulousness. 

"No,  good  friend.  I  said  Alvarado,"  returned  Don 
Csesar  gravely. 

"  If  you  did  n't  say  Masters,  how  could  /  say  it  ?  I 
don't  know  any  Masters." 

Don  Csesar  was  silent.  In  another  moment  the  happy 
tranquillity  returned  to  Slinn's  face  ;  and  Don  Csesar  con- 
tinued :  — 

"  It  is  not  a  long  walk  over  the  hill,  though  it  is  far  by 
the  road.  When  you  are  better  you  shall  try  it.  Yonder 
little  trail  leads  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  then  "  — 

He  stopped,  for  the  invalid's  face  had  again  assumed  its 
troubled  expression.  Partly  to  change  his  thoughts,  and 
partly  for  some  inexplicable  idea  that  had  suddenly  seized 
him,  Don  Csesar  continued  :  — 

"  There  is  a  strange  old  stump  near  the  trail,  and  in  it 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  299 

a  hole.  In  the  hole  I  found  this  letter. "  He  stopped 
again  —  this  time  in  alarm.  Slinn  had  staggered  to  his 
feet  with  ashen  and  distorted  features,  and  was  glancing  at 
the  letter  which  Don  Caesar  had  drawn  from  his  pocket. 
The  muscles  of  his  throat  swelled  as  if  he  was  swallowing  ; 
his  lips  moved,  but  no  sound  issued  from  them.  At  last, 
with  a  convulsive  effort,  he  regained  a  disjointed  speech,, 
in  a  voice  scarcely  audible. 

"  My  letter  !  my  letter  !  It 's  mine  !  Give  it  me  !  It 's 
my  fortune  —  all  mine  !  In  the  tunnel  —  hill  !  Masters 
stole  it  —  stole  my  fortune  !  Stole  it  all !  See,  see  !  " 

He  seized  the  letter  from  Don  Caesar  with  trembling 
hands,  and  tore  it  open  forcibly  :  a  few  dull  yellow  grains 
fell  from  it  heavily,  like  shot,  to  the  ground. 

"  See,  it's  true  !  My  letter!  My  gold  !  My  strike  ! 
My  —  my  —  my  God  !  " 

A  tremor  passed  over  his  face.  The  hand  that  held  the 
letter  suddenly  dropped  sheer  and  heavy  as  the  gold  had 
fallen.  The  whole  side  of  his  face  and  body  nearest  Don 
Csesar  seemed  to  drop  and  sink  into  itself  as  suddenly.  At 
the  same  moment,  and  without  a  word,  he  slipped  through 
Don  Caesar's  outstretched  hands  to  the  ground.  Don 
Csesar  bent  quickly  over  him,  but  not  longer  than  to  satisfy 
himself  that  he  lived  and  breathed,  although  helpless.  He 
then  caught  up  the  fallen  letter,  and,  glancing  over  it  with 
flashing  eyes,  thrust  it  and  the  few  specimens  in  his  pocket. 
He  then  sprang  to  his  feet,  so  transformed  with  energy 
and  intelligence  that  he  seemed  to  have  added  the  lost 
vitality  of  the  man  before  him  to  his  own.  He  glanced 
quickly  up  and  down  the  highway.  Every  moment  to  him 
was  precious  now ;  but  he  could  not  leave  the  stricken 
man  in  the  dust  of  the  road  ;  nor  could  he  carry  him  to 
the  house ;  nor,  having  alarmed  his  daughters,  could  he 
abandon  his  helplessness  to  their  feeble  arms.  He  remem- 
bered that  his  horse  was  still  tied  to  the  garden  fence.  He 


300  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

would  fetch  it,  and  carry  the  unfortunate  man  across  the 
saddle  to  the  gate.  He  lifted  him  with  difficulty  to  the 
boulder,  and  ran  rapidly  up  the  road  in  the  direction  of  his 
tethered  steed.  He  had  not  proceeded  far  when  he  heard 
the  noise  of  wheels  behind  him.  It  was  the  up  stage  com- 
ing furiously  along.  He  would  have  called  to  the  driver 
for  assistance,  but  even  through  that  fast-sweeping  cloud  of 
dust  and  motion  he  could  see  that  the  man  was  utterly 
oblivious  of  anything  but  the  speed  of  his  rushing  chariot, 
and  had  even  risen  in  his  box  to  lash  the  infuriated  and 
frightened  animals  forward. 

An  hour  later,  when  the  coach  drew  up  at  the  Ked  Dog 
Hotel,  the  driver  descended  from  the  box,  white,  but  taci- 
turn. When  he  had  swallowed  a  glass  of  whiskey  at  a 
single  gulp,  he  turned  to  the  astonished  express  agent,  who 
had  followed  him  in. 

"  One  of  two  things,  Jim,  hez  got  to  happen,"  he  said 
huskily.  "  Either  that  there  rock  hez  got  to  get  off  the 
road,  or  /  have.  I  ?ve  seed  him  on  it  agin  !  " 


CHAPTEK  IV 

No  further  particulars  of  the  invalid's  second  attack  were 
known  than  those  furnished  by  Don  Caesar's  brief  statement, 
that  he  had  found  him  lying  insensible  on  the  boulder. 
This  seemed  perfectly  consistent  with  the  theory  of  Dr. 
Duchesne ;  and  as  the  young  Spaniard  left  Los  Gatos  the 
next  day,  he  escaped  not  only  the  active  report  of  the  "  Re- 
cord," but  the  perusal  of  a  grateful  paragraph  in  the  next 
day's  paper  recording  his  prompt  kindness  and  courtesy. 
Dr.  Duchesne's  prognosis,  however,  seemed  at  fault;  the 
elder  Slinn  did  not  succumb  to  the  second  stroke,  nor  did 
he  recover  his  reason.  He  apparently  only  relapsed  into 
his  former  physical  weakness,  losing  the  little  ground  he 
had  gained  during  the  last  month,  and  exhibiting  no  change  in 
his  mental  condition,  unless  the  fact  that  he  remembered 
nothing  of  his  seizure  and  the  presence  of  Don  Caesar  could 
be  considered  as  favorable.  Dr.  Duchesne's  gravity  seemed 
to  give  that  significance  to  this  symptom,  and  his  cross-ques- 
tioning of  the  patient  was  characterized  by  more  than  his 
usual  curtness. 

"  You  are  sure  you  don't  remember  walking  in  the  garden 
before  you  were  ill  ?  "  he  said.  "  Come,  think  again.  You 
must  remember  that."  The  old  man's  eyes  wandered  rest- 
lessly around  the  room,  but  he  answered  by  a  negative  shake 
of  his  head.  "  And  you  don't  remember  sitting  down  on  a 
stone  by  the  road  ?  " 

The  old  man  kept  his  eyes  resolutely  fixed  on  the  bed- 
clothes before  him.  "  No  !  "  he  said,  with  a  certain  sharp 
decision  that  was  new  to  him. 


302  A  MILLIONAIRE  OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

The  doctor's  eye  brightened.  "All  right,  old  man  ;  then 
don't." 

On  his  way  out  he  took  the  eldest  Miss  Slinn  aside. 
"  He  '11  do,"  he  said  grimly  :  "  he  's  beginning  to  lie." 

"  Why,  he  only  said  he  did  n't  remember,"  responded 
Esther. 

"  That  was  because  he  did  n't  want  to  remember,"  said 
the  doctor  authoritatively.  "  The  brain  is  acting  on  some 
impression  that  is  either  painful  and  unpleasant,  or  so  vague 
that  he  can't  formulate  it ;  he  is  conscious  of  it,  and  won't 
attempt  it  yet.  It's  a  heap  better  than  his  old  self-satisfied 
incoherency." 

A  few  days  later,  when  the  fact  of  Slum's  identification 
with  the  paralytic  of  three  years  ago  by  the  stage-driver 
became  generally  known,  the  doctor  came  in  quite  jubilant. 

"  It  7s  all  plain  now,"  he  said  decidedly.  "  That  second 
stroke  was  caused  by  the  nervous  shock  of  his  coming  sud- 
denly upon  the  very  spot  where  he  had  the  first  one.  It 
proved  that  his  brain  still  retained  old  impressions,  but  as 
this  first  act  of  his  memory  was  a  painful  one,  the  strain 
was  too  great.  It  was  mighty  unlucky ;  but  it  was  a 
good  sign." 

"  And  you  think,  then  "  —  hesitated  Harry  Slinn. 

"  I  think,"  said  Dr.  Duchesne,  "  that  this  activity  still 
exists,  and  the  proof  of  it,  as  I  said  before,  is  that  he  is  now 
trying  to  forget  it,  and  avoid  thinking  of  it.  You  will  find 
that  he  will  fight  shy  of  any  allusion  to  it,  and  will  be 
cunning  enough  to  dodge  it  every  time." 

He  certainly  did.  Whether  the  doctor's  hypothesis  was 
fairly  based  or  not,  it  was  a  fact  that,  when  he  was  first 
taken  out  to  drive  with  his  watchful  physician,  he  appar- 
ently took  no  notice  of  the  boulder  —  which  still  remained 
on  the  roadside,  thanks  to  the  later  practical  explanation  of 
the  stage-driver's  vision  —  and  curtly  refused  to  talk  about 
it.  But,  more  significant  to  Duchesne,  and  perhaps  more 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  303 

perplexing,  was  a  certain  morose  abstraction,  which  took 
the  place  of  his  former  vacuity  of  contentment,  and  an 
intolerance  of  his  attendants,  which  supplanted  his  old 
habitual  trustfulness  to  their  care,  that  had  been  varied  only 
by  the  occasional  querulousness  of  an  invalid.  His  daughters 
sometimes  found  him  regarding  them  with  an  attention 
little  short  of  suspicion,  and  even  his  son  detected  a  half- 
suppressed  aversion  in  his  interviews  with  him. 

Referring  this  among  themselves  to  his  unfortunate 
malady,  his  children  perhaps  justified  this  estrangement 
by  paying  very  little  attention  to  it.  They  were  more 
pleasantly  occupied.  The  two  girls  succeeded  to  the  posi- 
tion held  by  Mamie  Mulrady  in  the  society  of  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  divided  the  attentions  of  Rough-and-Ready. 
The  young  editor  of  the  "  Record  "  had  really  achieved, 
through  his  supposed  intimacy  with  the  Mulradys,  the  good 
fortune  he  had  jestingly  prophesied.  The  disappearance  of 
Don  Caesar  was  regarded  as  a  virtual  abandonment  of  the 
field  to  his  rival ;  and  the  general  opinion  was  that  he  was 
engaged  to  the  millionaire's  daughter  on  a  certain  probation 
of  work  and  influence  in  his  prospective  father-in-law's 
interests.  He  became  successful  in  one  or  two  speculations, 
the  magic  of  the  lucky  Mulrady's  name  befriending  him. 
In  the  superstition  of  the  mining  community,  much  of  this 
luck  was  due  to  his  having  secured  the  old  cabin. 

"  To  think,"  remarked  one  of  the  augurs  of  Red  Dog, 
French  Pete,  a  polyglot  jester,,"  that  while  every  d — d  fool 
went  to  taking  up  claims  where  the  gold  had  already  been 
found,  no  one  thought  of  stepping  into  the  old  man's  old 
choux  in  the  cabbage  garden !  "  Any  doubt,  however,  of 
the  alliance  of  the  families  was  dissipated  by  the  intimacy 
that  sprang  up  between  the  elder  Slinn  and  the  millioniare 
after  the  latter' s  return  from  San  Francisco. 

It  began  in  a  strange  kind  of  pity  for  the  physical  weak- 
ness of  the  man,  which  enlisted  the  sympathies  of  Mulrady, 


304  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

whose  great  strength  had  never  been  deteriorated  by  the 
luxuries  of  wealth,  and  who  was  still  able  to  set  his  work- 
men an  example  of  hard  labor  ;  it  was  sustained  by  a  sin- 
gular and  superstitious  reverence  for  his  mental  condition, 
which,  to  the  paternal  Mulrady,  seemed  to  possess  that 
spiritual  quality  with  which  popular  ignorance  invests 
demented  people. 

"  Then  you  mean  to  say  that  during  these  three  years 
the  vein  o'  your  mind,  so  to  speak,  was  a  lost  lead,  and 
sorter  dropped  out  o'  sight  or  follerin'  ?  "  queried  Mulrady, 
with  infinite  seriousness. 

"Yes,"  returned  Slinn,  with  less  impatience  than  he 
usually  showed  to  questions. 

"  And  durin'  that  time,  when  you  was  dried  up  and 
waitin'  for  rain,  I  reckon  you  kinder  had  visions  ?  " 

A  cloud  passed  over  Slinn's  face. 

"  Of  course,  of  course !  "  said  Mulrady,  a  little  frightened 
at  his  tenacity  in  questioning  the  oracle.  "  Nat'rally,  this 
was  private,  and  not  to  be  talked  about.  I  meant,  you  had 
plenty  of  room  for  'em  without  crowdin' ;  you  kin  tell  me 
some  day  when  you  're  better,  and  kin  sorter  select  what 's 
points  and  what  ain't." 

"  Perhaps  I  may  some  day,"  said  the  invalid  gloomily, 
glancing  in  the  direction  of  his  preoccupied  daughters  ; 
"  when  we  're  alone." 

When  his  physical  strength  had  improved,  and  his  left 
arm  and  side  had  regained  a  feeble  but  slowly  gathering 
vitality,  Alvin  Mulrady  one  day  surprised  the  family  by 
bringing  the  convalescent  a  pile  of  letters  and  accounts,  and 
spreading  them  on  a  board  before  Slinn's  invalid  chair,  with 
the  suggestion  that  he  should  look  over,  arrange,  and  docket 
them.  The  idea  seemed  preposterous,  until  it  was  found 
that  the  old  man  was  actually  able  to  perform  this  service, 
and  exhibited  a  degree  of  intellectual  activity  and  capacity 
for  this  kind  of  work  that  was  unsuspected.  Dr.  Duchesne 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  305 

was  delighted,  and  divided  with  admiration  between  his 
patient's  progress  and  the  millionaire's  sagacity.  "  And 
there  are  envious  people,"  said  the  enthusiastic  doctor, 
"  who  believe  that  a  man  like  him,  who  could  conceive  of 
such  a  plan  for  occupying  a  weak  intellect  without  taxing 
its  memory  or  judgment,  is  merely  a  lucky  fool !  Look 
here.  Maybe  it  did  n't  require  much  brains  to  stumble  on 
a  gold  mine,  and  it  is  a  gift  of  Providence.  But  in  my 
experience,  Providence  don't  go  round  buyin'  up  d — d  fools, 
or  investin'  in  dead-beats." 

When  Mr.  Slinn,  finally,  with  the  aid  of  crutches,  was 
able  to  hobble  every  day  to  the  imposing  counting-house 
and  office  of  Mr.  Mulrady,  which  now  occupied  the  lower 
part  of  the  new  house,  and  contained  some  of  its  gorgeous 
furniture,  he  was  installed  at  a  rosewood  desk  behind  Mr. 
Mulrady's  chair,  as  his  confidential  clerk  and  private  secre- 
tary. The  astonishment  of  Bed  Dog  and  Rough-and- 
Ready  at  this  singular  innovation  knew  no  bounds ;  but 
the  boldness  and  novelty  of  the  idea  carried  everything  be- 
fore it.  Judge  Butts,  the  oracle  of  Rough-and-Ready,  de- 
livered its  decision  :  "  He 's  got  a  man  who 's  physically 
incapable  of  running  off  with  his  money,  and  has  no  mem- 
ory to  run  off  with  his  ideas.  How  could  he  do  better  ?  " 
Even  his  own  son,  Harry,  coming  upon  his  father  thus  in- 
stalled, was  for  a  moment  struck  with  a  certain  filial  respect, 
and  for  a  day  or  two  patronized  him. 

In  this  capacity  Slinn  became  the  confidant,  not  only  of 
Mulrady's  business  secrets,  but  of  his  domestic  affairs.  He 
knew  that  young  Mulrady,  from  a  freckle-faced,  slow  coun- 
try boy,  had  developed  into  a  freckle-faced  fast  city  man, 
with  coarse  habits  of  drink  and  gambling.  It  was  through 
the  old  man's  hands  that  extravagant  bills  and  shameful 
claims  passed  on  their  way  to  be  cashed  by  Mulrady ;  it 
was  he  that  at  last  laid  before  the  father  one  day  his  sig- 
nature perfectly  forged  by  the  son. 


306  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

"  Your  eyes  are  not  ez  good  ez  mine,  you  know,  Slinn," 
said  Mulrady  gravely.  "  It 's  all  right.  I  sometimes  make 
my  ?/'s  like  that.  I  'd  clean  forgot  to  cash  that  check. 
You  must  not  think  you  've  got  the  monoply  of  dis- 
remembering,"  he  added,  with  a  faint  laugh. 

Equally  through  Slinn's  hands  passed  the  record  of  the 
lavish  expenditure  of  Mrs.  Mulrady  and  the  fair  Mamie,  as 
well  as  the  chronicle  of  their  movements  and  fashionable 
triumphs.  As  Mulrady  had  already  noticed  that  Slinn  had 
no  confidence  with  his  own  family,  he  did  not  try  to  with- 
hold from  him  these  domestic  details,  possibly  as  an  offset 
to  the  dreary  catalogue  of  his  son's  misdeeds,  but  more 
often  in  the  hope  of  gaining  from  the  taciturn  old  man 
some  comment  that  might  satisfy  his  innocent  vanity  as 
father  and  husband,  and  perhaps  dissipate  some  doubts  that 
were  haunting  him. 

"  Twelve  hundred  dollars  looks  to  be  a  good  figger  for 
a  dress,  ain't  it  ?  But  Malviny  knows,  I  reckon,  what 
ought  to  be  worn  at  the  Tooilleries,  and  she  don't  want  our 
Mamie  to  take  a  back  seat  before  them  f urrin  princesses  and 
gran'  dukes.  It 's  a  slap-up  affair,  I  kalkilate.  Let 's  see. 
I  disremember  whether  it 's  an  emperor  or  a  king  that 's 
rulin'  over  thar  now.  It  must  be  suthin'  first-class  and 
A  1,  for  Malviny  ain't  the  woman  to  throw  away  twelve 
hundred  dollars  on  any  of  them  small-potato  despots  !  She 
says  Mamie  speaks  French  already  like  them  French  Petes. 
I  don't  quite  make  out  what  she  means  here.  She  met 
Don  Caesar  in  Paris,  and  she  says,  '  I  think  Mamie  is  nearly 
off  with  Don  Cffisar,  who  has  followed  her  here.  I  don't 
care  about  her  dropping  him  too  suddenly  ;  the  reason  I  '11 
tell  you  hereafter.  I  think  the  man  might  be  a  dangerous 
enemy.'  Now,  what  do  you  make  of  this  ?  I  allus 
thought  Mamie  rather  cottoned  to  him,  and  it  was  the  old 
woman  who  fought  shy,  thinkin'  Mamie  would  do  better. 
Now,  I  am  agreeable  that  my  gal  should  marry  any  one  she 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  307 

likes,  whether  it 's  a  dock  or  a  poor  man,  as  long  as  he  's 
on  the  square.  I  was  ready  to  take  Don  Caesar ;  but  now 
things  seem  to  have  shifted  round.  As  to  Don  Caesar's 
being  a  dangerous  enemy  if  Mamie  won't  have  him,  that  's 
a  little  too  high  and  mighty  for  me,  and  I  wonder  the  old 
woman  don't  make  him  climb  down.  What  do  you 
think  ?  " 

"Who  is  Don  Csesar?"  asked  Slinn. 

"The  man  what  picked  you  up  that  day.  I  mean," 
continued  Mulrady,  seeing  the  marks  of  evident  ignorance 
on  the  old  man's  face,  —  "I  mean  a  sort  of  grave,  genteel 
chap,  suthiii'  between  a  parson  and  a  circus-rider.  You 
might  have  seen  him  round  the  house  talkin'  to  your 
gals." 

But  Slinn's  entire  forgetfulness  of  Don  Caesar  was  evi- 
dently unfeigned.  Whatever  sudden  accession  of  memory 
he  had  at  the  time  of  his  attack,  the  incident  that  caused 
it  had  no  part  in  his  recollection.  With  the  exception  of 
these  rare  intervals  of  domestic  confidences  with  his  crip- 
pled private  secretary,  Mulrady  gave  himself  up  to  money- 
getting.  Without  any  especial  faculty  for  it  —  an  easy 
prey  often  to  unscrupulous  financiers  —  his  unfailing  luck, 
however,  carried  him  safely  through,  until  his  very  mis- 
takes seemed  to  be  simply  insignificant  means  to  a  large 
significant  end  and  a  part  of  his  original  plan.  He  sank 
another  shaft,  at  a  great  expense,  with  a  view  to  follow- 
ing the  lead  he  had  formerly  found,  against  the  opinions 
of  the  best  mining  engineers,  and  struck  the  artesian 
spring  he  did  not  find  at  that  time,  with  a  volume  of  water 
that  enabled  him  not  only  to  work  his  own  mine,  but  to 
furnish  supplies  to  his  less  fortunate  neighbors  at  a  vast 
profit.  A  league  of  tangled  forest  and  canon  behind 
Rough-and-Ready,  for  which  he  had  paid  Don  Ramon's 
heirs  an  extravagant  price  in  the  presumption  that  it  was 
auriferous,  furnished  the  most  accessible  timber  to  build 


308  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

the  town,  at  prices  which  amply  remunerated  him.  The 
practical  schemes  of  experienced  men,  the  wildest  visions 
of  daring  dreams  delayed  or  abortive  for  want  of  capital, 
eventually  fell  into  his  hands.  Men  sneered  at  his 
methods,  but  bought  his  shares.  Some  who  affected  to 
regard  him  simply  as  a  man  of  money  were  content  to  get 
only  his  name  to  any  enterprise.  Courted  by  his  superiors, 
quoted  by  his  equals,  and  admired  by  his  inferiors,  he  bore 
his  elevation  equally  without  ostentation  or  dignity.  Bid- 
den to  banquets,  and  forced  by  his  position  as  director  or 
president  into  the  usual  gastronomic  feats  of  that  civiliza- 
tion and  period,  he  partook  of  simple  food,  and  continued 
his  old  habit  of  taking  a  cup  of  coffee  with  milk  and  sugar, 
at  dinner.  Without  professing  temperance,  he  drank  spar- 
ingly in  a  community  where  alcoholic  stimulation  was  a 
custom.  With  neither  refinement  nor  an  extended  vocabu- 
lary, he  was  seldom  profane,  and  never  indelicate.  With 
nothing  of  the  Puritan  in  his  manner  or  conversation,  he 
seemed  to  be  as  strange  to  the  vices  of  civilization  as  he 
was  to  its  virtues.  That  such  a  man  should  offer  little  to 
and  receive  little  from  the  companionship  of  women  of  any 
kind  was  a  foregone  conclusion.  Without  the  dignity  of 
solitude,  he  was  pathetically  alone. 

Meantime,  the  days  passed ;  the  first  six  months  of  his 
opulence  were  drawing  to  a  close,  ancl  in  that  interval  he 
had  more  than  doubled  the  amount  of  his  discovered  for- 
tune. The  rainy  season  set  in  early.  Although  it  dissi- 
pated the  clouds  of  dust  under  which  Nature  and  Art 
seemed  to  be  slowly  disappearing,  it  brought  little  beauty 
to  the  landscape  at  first,  and  only  appeared  to  lay  bare  the 
crudenesses  of  civilization.  The  unpainted  wooden  buildings 
of  Rough-and-Ready,  soaked  and  dripping  with  rain,  took 
upon  themselves  a  sleek  and  shining  ugliness,  as  of  sec- 
ond-hand garments ;  the  absence  of  cornices  or  projections 
to  break  the  monotony  of  the  long  straight  lines  of  down- 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  309 

pour  made  the  town  appear  as  if  it  had  been  recently  sub- 
merged, every  vestige  of  ornamentation  swept  away,  and 
only  the  bare  outlines  left.  Mud  was  everywhere ;  the 
outer  soil  seemed  to  have  risen  and  invaded  the  houses  even 
to  their  most  secret  recesses,  as  if  outraged  Nature  was  try- 
ing to  revenge  herself.  Mud  was  brought  into  the  saloons  and 
bar-rooms  and  express  offices  on  boots,  on  clothes,  on  bag- 
gage, and  sometimes  appeared  mysteriously  in  splashes  of 
red  color  on  the  walls,  without  visible  conveyance.  The 
dust  of  six  months,  closely  packed  in  cornice  and  carving, 
yielded  under  the  steady  rain  a  thin  yellow  paint,  that 
dropped  on  wayfarers  or  unexpectedly  oozed  out  of  ceilings 
and  walls  on  the  wretched  inhabitants  within.  The  out- 
skirts of  Kough-and-Ready  and  the  dried  hills  round  Los 
Gatos  did  not  appear  to  fare  much  better ;  the  new  vegeta- 
tion had  not  yet  made  much  headway  against  the  dead 
grasses  of  the  summer  ;  the  pines  in  the  hollow  wept  lugu- 
briously into  a  small  rivulet  that  had  sprung  suddenly  into 
life  near  the  old  trail ;  everywhere  was  the  sound  of  drop- 
ping, splashing,  gurgling,  or  rushing  waters. 

More  hideous  than  ever,  the  new  Mulrady  house  lifted 
itself  against  the  leaden  sky,  and  stared  with  all  its  large- 
framed,  shutterless  windows  blankly  on  the  prospect,  until 
they  seemed  to  the  wayfarer  to  become  mere  mirrors  set  in 
the  walls,  reflecting  only  the  watery  landscape,  and  unable 
to  give  the  least  indication  of  light  or  heat  within.  Never- 
theless, there  was  a  fire  in  Mulrady's  private  office  that 
December  afternoon,  of  a  smoky,  intermittent  variety,  that 
sufficed  more  to  record  the  defects  of  hasty  architecture 
than  to  comfort  the  millionaire  and  his  private  secretary, 
who  had  lingered  after  the  early  withdrawal  of  the  clerks. 
For  the  next  day  was  Christmas,  and,  out  of  deference  to 
the  near  approach  of  this  festivity,  a  half  holiday  had  been 
given  to  the  employees.  "  They  '11  want,  some  of  them,  to 
spend  their  money  before  to-morrow  j  and  others  would 


310  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

like  to  be  able  to  rise  up  comfortably  drunk  Christmas  morn- 
ing," the  superintendent  had  suggested.  Mr.  Mulrady 
had  just  signed  a  number  of  checks  indicating  his  largess 
to  those  devoted  adherents  with  the  same  unostentatious, 
undemonstrative,  matter-of-fact  manner  that  distinguished 
his  ordinary  business.  The  men  had  received  it  with  some- 
thing of  the  same  manner.  A  half -humorous  "  Thank  you, 
sir  "  —  as  if  to  show  that,  with  their  patron,  they  tolerated 
this  deference  to  a  popular  custom,  but  were  a  little  ashamed 
of  giving  way  to  it  —  expressed  their  gratitude  and  their 
independence. 

"  I  reckon  that  the  old  lady  and  Mamie  are  having  a 
high  old  time  in  some  of  them  gilded  pallises  in  St.  Peters- 
burg or  Berlin  about  this  time.  Them  diamonds  that  I  or- 
dered at  Tiffany  ought  to  have  reached  'em  about  now,  so 
that  Mamie  could  cut  a  swell  at  Christmas  with  her  war- 
paint. I  suppose  it  's  the  style  to  give  presents  in  furrin 
countries  ez  it  is  here,  and  I  allowed  to  the  old  lady  that 
whatever  she  orders  in  that  way  she  is  to  do  in  Californy 
style  —  no  dollar-jewelry  and  galvanized- watches  business. 
If  she  wants  to  make  a  present  to  any  of  them  nobles  ez 
has  been  purlite  to  her,  it 's  got  to  be  something  that 
Rough-and-Ready  ain't  ashamed  of.  I  showed  you  that 
pin  Mamie  bought  me  in  Paris,  did  n't  I  ?  It 's  just  come 
for  my  Christmas  present.  No !  I  reckon  I  put  it  in  the 
safe,  for  them  kind  o'  things  don't  suit  my  style :  but 
s'pose  I  orter  sport  it  to-morrow.  It  was  mighty  thought- 
ful in  Mamie,  and  it  must  cost  a  lump  ;  it 's  got  no  slouch 
of  a  pearl  in  it.  I  wonder  what  Mamie  gave  for  it  ?  " 

•"  You  can  easily  tell ;  the  bill  is  here.  You  paid  it  yes- 
terday," said  Slinn.  There  was  no  satire  in  the  man's 
voice,  nor  was  there  the  least  perception  of  irony  in  Mul- 
rady's  manner,  as  he  returned  quietly  :  — 

"  That 's  so  ;  it  was  suthin'  like  a  thousand  francs ;  but 
French  money,  when  you  pan  it  out  as  dollars  and  cents, 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  311 

don't  make  so  much,  after  all."  There  was  a  few  moments' 
silence,  when  he  continued,  in  the  same  tone  of  voice : 
"  Talkin'  o'  them  things,  Slinn,  I  've  got  suthin'  for  you." 
He  stopped  suddenly.  Ever  watchful  of  any  undue  excite- 
ment in  the  invalid,  he  had  noticed  a  slight  flush  of  disturb- 
ance pass  over  his  face,  and  continued  carelessly,  "But 
we  '11  talk  it  over  to-morrow  ;  a  day  or  two  don't  make 
much  difference  to  you  and  me  in  such  things,  you  know. 
P'r'aps  I  '11  drop  in  and  see  you.  We  '11  be  shut  up 
here." 

"  Then  you  're  going  out  somewhere  ?  "  asked  Slinn 
mechanically. 

"  No,"  said  Mulrady  hesitatingly.  It  had  suddenly  oc- 
curred to  him  that  he  had  nowhere  to  go,  if  he  wanted  to, 
and  he  continued,  half  in  explanation,  "  I  ain't  reckoned 
much  on  Christmas  myself.  Abner  's  at  the  Springs  ;  it 
would  n't  pay  him  to  come  here  for  a  day  —  even  if  there 
was  anybody  here  he  cared  to  see.  I  reckon  I  '11  hang 
round  the  shanty,  and  look  after  things  generally.  I 
have  n't  been  over  the  house  upstairs  to  put  things  to 
rights  since  the  folks  left.  But  you  needn't  come  here, 
you  know." 

He  helped  the  old  man  to  rise,  assisted  him  in  putting 
on  his  overcoat,  and  then  handed  him  the  cane  which  had 
lately  replaced  his  crutches. 

"  Good-by,  old  man  !  You  must  n't  trouble  yourself  to 
say  f  Merry  Christmas '  now,  but  wait  until  you  see  me 
again.  Take  care  of  yourself." 

He  slapped  him  lightly  on  the  shoulder,  and  went  back 
into  his  private  office.  He  worked  for  some  time  at  his 
desk,  and  then  laid  his  pen  aside,  put  away  his  papers  me- 
thodically, placing  a  large  envelope  on  his  private  secre- 
tary's vacant  table.  He  then  opened  the  office  door  and 
ascended  the  staircase.  He  stopped  on  the  first  landing  to 
listen  to  the  sound  of  rain  on  the  glass  skylight,  that 


312  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

seemed  to  echo  through  the  empty  hall  like  the  gloomy  roll 
of  a  drum.  It  was  evident  that  the  searching  water  had 
found  out  the  secret  sins  of  the  house's  construction,  for 
there  were  great  fissures  of  discoloration  in  the  white  and 
gold  paper  in  the  corners  of  the  wall.  There  was  a  strange 
odor  of  the  dank  forest  in  the  mirrored  drawing-room,  as  if 
the  rain  had  brought  out  the  sap  again  from  the  unseasoned 
timbers  ;  the  blue  and  white  satin  furniture  looked  cold, 
and  the  marble  mantels  and  centre- tables  had  taken  upon 
themselves  the  clamminess  of  tombstones.  Mr.  Mulrady, 
who  had  always  retained  his  old  farmer-like  habit  of  taking 
off  his  coat  with  his  hat  on  entering  his  own  house,  and 
appearing  in  his  shirt-sleeves,  to  indicate  domestic  ease  and 
security,  was  obliged  to  replace  it,  on  account  of  the  chill. 
He  had  never  felt  at  home  in  this  room.  Its  strangeness 
had  lately  been  heightened  by  Mrs.  Mulrady's  purchase  of 
a  family  portrait  of  some  one  she  did  n't  know,  but  who, 
she  had  alleged,  resembled  her  "  Uncle  Bob,"  which  hung 
on  the  wall  beside  some  paintings  in  massive  frames.  Mr. 
Mulrady  cast  a  hurried  glance  at  the  portrait  that,  on  the 
strength  of  a  high  coat-collar  and  high  top  curl,  —  both 
rolled  with  equal  precision  and  singular  sameness  of  color,  — 
had  always  glared  at  Mulrady  as  if  lie  was  the  intruder, 
and,  passing  through  his  wife's  gorgeous  bedroom,  entered 
the  little  dressing-room,  where  he  still  slept  on  the  smallest 
of  cots,  with  hastily  improvised  surroundings,  as  if  he  was  a 
bailiff  in  "  possession."  He  did  n't  linger  here  long,  but, 
taking  a  key  from  a  drawer,  continued  up  the  staircase,  to 
the  ominous  funeral  marches  of  the  beating  rain  on  the 
skylight,  and  paused  on  the  landing  to  glance  into  his  son's 
and  daughter's  bedrooms,  duplicates  of  the  bizarre  extrava- 
gance below.  If  he  were  seeking  some  characteristic  traces 
of  his  absent  family,  they  certainly  were  not  here  in  the 
painted  and  still  damp  blazoning  of  their  later  successes. 
He  ascended  another  staircase,  and,  passing  to  the  wing  of 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  313 

the  house,  paused  before  a  small  door,  which  was  locked. 
Already  the  ostentatious  decorations  of  wall  and  passages 
were  left  behind,  and  the  plain  lath-and-plaster  partition  of 
the  attic  lay  before  him.  He  unlocked  the  door,  and  threw 
it  open. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  apartment  he  entered  was  really  only  a  lumber- 
room  or  loft  over  the  wing  of  the  house,  which  had  been 
left  bare  and  unfinished,  and  which  revealed  in  its  meagre 
skeleton  of  beams  and  joints  the  hollow  sham  of  the  whole 
structure.  But  in  more  violent  contrast  to  the  fresher 
glories  of  the  other  part  of  the  house  were  its  contents, 
which  were  the  heterogeneous  collection  of  old  furniture, 
old  luggage,  and  cast-off  clothing,  left  over  from  the  past 
life  in  the  old  cabin.  It  was  a  much  plainer  record  of  the 
simple  beginnings  of  the  family  than  Mrs.  Mulrady  cared 
to  have  remain  in  evidence,  and  for  that  reason  it  had 
been  relegated  to  the  hidden  recesses  of  the  new  house,  in 
the  hope  that  it  might  absorb  or  digest  it.  There  were 
old  cribs,  in  which  the  infant  limbs  of  Mamie  and  Abner 
had  been  tucked  up ;  old  looking-glasses,  that  had  reflected 
their  shining,  soapy  faces,  and  Mamie's  best  chip  Sunday 
hat ;  an  old  sewing-machine,  that  had  been  worn  out  in 
active  service ;  old  patchwork  quilts ;  an  old  accordion,  to 
whose  long-drawn  inspirations  Mamie  had  sung  hymns  ; 
old  pictures,  books,  and  old  toys.  There  were  one  or  two 
old  chromos,  and,  stuck  in  an  old  frame,  a  colored  print 
from  the  "  Illustrated  London  News "  of  a  Christmas 
gathering  in  an  old  English  country  house.  He  stopped 
and  picked  up  this  print,  which  he  had  often  seen  before, 
gazing  at  it  with  a  new  and  singular  interest.  He  won- 
dered if  Mamie  had  seen  anything  of  this  kind  in  England, 
and  why  could  n't  he  have  had  something  like  it  here,  in 
their  own  fine  house,  with  themselves  and  a  few  friends  ? 


A  MILLIONAIRE  OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  315 

He  remembered  a  past  Christmas,  when  he  had  bought 
Mamie  that  now  headless  doll  with  the  few  coins  that  were 
left  him  after  buying  their  frugal  Christmas  dinner.  There 
was  an  old  spotted  hobby-horse  that  another  Christmas  had 
brought  to  Abner  —  Abner,  who  would  be  driving  a  fast 
trotter  to-morrow  at  the  Springs !  How  everything  had 
changed  !  How  they  all  had  got  up  in  the  world,  and 
how  far  beyond  this  kind  of  thing  —  and  yet  —  yet  it 
would  have  been  rather  comfortable  to  have  all  been  to- 
gether again  here.  Would  they  have  been  more  comfort- 
able ?  No  !  Yet  then  he  might  have  had  something  to 
do,  and  been  less  lonely  to-morrow.  What  of  that  ?  He 
had  something  to  do  :  to  look  after  this  immense  fortune. 
What  more  could  a  man  want,  or  should  he  want  ?  It 
was  rather  mean  in  him,  able  to  give  his  wife  and  children 
everything  they  wanted,  to  be  wanting  anything  more. 
He  laid  down  the  print  gently,  after  dusting  its  glass  and 
frame  with  his  silk  handkerchief,  and  slowly  left  the  room. 
The  drum-beat  of  the  rain  followed  him  down  the  stair- 
case, but  he  shut  it  out  with  his  other  thoughts,  when  he 
again  closed  the  door  of  his  office.  He  sat  diligently  to 
work  by  the  declining  winter  light,  until  he  was  interrupted 
by  the  entrance  of  his  Chinese  waiter  to  tell  him  that 
supper — which  was  the  meal  that  Mulrady  religiously  ad- 
hered to  in  place  of  the  late  dinner  of  civilization  —  was 
ready  in  the  dining-room.  Mulrady  mechanically  obeyed 
the  summons  ;  but  on  entering  the  room,  the  oasis  of  a  few 
plates  in  a  desert  of  white  table-cloth  which  awaited  him 
made  him  hesitate.  In  its  best  aspect,  the  high  dark 
Gothic  mahogany  ecclesiastical  sideboard  and  chairs  of  this 
room,  which  looked  like  the  appointments  of  a  mortuary 
chapel,  were  not  exhilarating  ;  and  to-day,  in  the  light  of 
the  rain-filmed  windows  and  the  feeble  rays  of  a  lamp  half 
obscured  by  the  dark,  shining  walls,  it  was  most  depress- 
ing. 


316  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

"  You  kin  take  up  supper  into  my  office,"  said  Mulrady, 
with  a  sudden  inspiration.  "  I  '11  eat  it  there." 

He  ate  it  there,  with  his  usual  healthy  appetite,  which 
did  not  require  even  the  stimulation  of  company.  He  had 
just  finished,  when  his  Irish  cook  —  the  one  female  ser- 
vant of  the  house  —  came  to  ask  permission  to  be  absent 
that  evening  and  the  next  day. 

"  I  suppose  the  likes  of  your  honor  won't  be  at  home  on 
the  Christmas  Day  ?  And  it  's  me  cousins  from  the  old 
counthry  at  Rough-and -Ready  that  are  invitin'  me." 

"  Why  don't  you  ask  them  over  here  ?  "  said  Mulrady, 
with  another  vague  inspiration.  "  I  '11  stand  treat." 

"Lord  preserve  you  for  a  jinerous  gintleman  !  But  it 's 
the  likes  of  them  and  myself  that  would  n't  be  at  home 
here  on  such  a  day." 

There  was  so  much  truth  in  this  that  Mulrady  checked 
a  sigh  as  he  gave  the  required  permission,  without  saying 
that  he  had  intended  to  remain.  He  could  cook  his  own 
breakfast :  he  had  done  it  before ;  and  it  would  be  some- 
thing to  occupy  him.  As  to  his  dinner,  perhaps  he  could 
go  to  the  hotel  at  Rough-and-Ready.  He  worked  on  until 
the  night  had  well  advanced.  Then,  overcome  with  a  cer- 
tain restlessness  that  disturbed  him,  he  was  forced  to  put 
his  books  and  papers  away.  It  had  begun  to  blow  in  fitful 
gusts,  and  occasionally  the  rain  was  driven  softly  across 
the  panes  like  the  passing  of  childish  fingers.  This  dis- 
turbed him  more  than  the  monotony  of  silence,  for  he  was 
not  a  nervous  man.  He  seldom  read  a  book,  and  the 
county  paper  furnished  him  only  the  financial  and  mercan- 
tile news  which  was  part  of  his  business.  He  knew  he 
could  not  sleep  if  he  went  to  bed.  At  last  he  rose,  opened 
the  window,  and  looked  out  from  pure  idleness  of  occupa- 
tion. A  splash  of  wheels  in  the  distant  muddy  road  and 
fragments  of  a  drunken  song  showed  signs  of  an  early  wan- 
dering reveler.  There  were  no  lights  to  be  seen  at  the 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  317 

closed  works ;  a  profound  darkness  encompassed  the  house, 
as  if  the  distant  pines  in  the  hollow  had  moved  up  and 
round  it.  The  silence  was  broken  now  only  by  the  occa- 
sional sighing  of  wind  and  rain.  It  was  not  an  inviting 
night  for  a  perfunctory  walk  ;  but  an  idea  struck  him  — 
he  would  call  upon  the  Slinns,  and  anticipate  his  next 
day's  visit !  They  would  probably  have  company,  and  be 
glad  to  see  him  :  he  could  tell  the  girls  of  Mamie  and  her 
success.  That  he  had  not  thought  of  this  before  was  a 
proof  of  his  usual  self-contained  isolation  ;  that  he  thought 
of  it  now  was  an  equal  proof  that  he  was  becoming  at  last 
accessible  to  loneliness.  He  was  angry  with  himself  for 
what  seemed  to  him  a  selfish  weakness. 

He  returned  to  his  office,  and,  putting  the  envelope  that 
had  been  lying  on  Slinn's  desk  in  his  pocket,  threw  a  serape 
over  his  shoulders,  and  locked  the  front  door  of  the  house 
behind  him.  It  was  well  that  the  way  was  a  familiar  one 
to  him,  and  that  his  feet  instinctively  found  the  trail,  for 
the  night  was  very  dark.  At  times  he  was  warned  only 
by  the  gurgling  of  water  of  little  rivulets  that  descended 
the  hill  and  crossed  his  path.  Without  the  slightest  fear, 
and  with  neither  imagination  nor  sensitiveness,  he  recalled 
how,  the  winter  before,  one  of  Don  Caesar's  vaqueros,  cross- 
ing this  hill  at  night,  had  fallen  down  the  chasm  of  a  land- 
slip caused  by  the  rain,  and  was  found  the  next  morning 
with  his  neck  broken  in  the  gully.  Don  Csesar  had  to  take 
care  of  the  man's  family.  Suppose  such  an  accident  should 
happen  to  him  ?  Well,  he  had  made  his  will.  His  wife 
and  children  would  be  provided  for,  and  the  work  of  the 
mine  would  go  on  all  the  same  ;  he  had  arranged  for  that. 
Would  anybody  miss  him  ?  Would  his  wife,  or  his  son, 
or  his  daughter  ?  No.  He  felt  such  a  sudden  and  over- 
whelming conviction  of  the  truth  of  this,  that  he  stopped 
as  suddenly  as  if  the  chasm  had  opened  before  him.  No  ! 
It  was  the  truth,  If  he  were  to  disappear  forever  in  the 


318  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

darkness  of  the  Christmas  night,  there  was  none  to  feel 
his  loss.  His  wife  would  take  care  of  Mamie ;  his  son 
would  take  care  of  himself,  as  he  had  before  —  relieved  of 
even  the  scant  paternal  authority  he  rebelled  against.  A 
more  imaginative  man  than  Mulrady  would  have  combated 
or  have  followed  out  this  idea,  and  then  dismissed  it ;  to 
the  millionaire's  matter-of-fact  mind  it  was  a  deduction 
that,  having  once  presented  itself  to  his  perception,  was 
already  a  recognized  fact.  For  the  first  time  in  his  life  he 
felt  a  sudden  instinct  of  something  like  aversion  towards 
his  family,  a  feeling  that  even  his  son's  dissipation  and 
criminality  had  never  provoked.  He  hurried  on  angrily 
through  the  darkness. 

It  was  very  strange ;  the  old  house  should  be  almost 
before  him  now,  across  the  hollow,  yet  there  were  no  indi- 
cations of  light !  It  was  not  until  he  actually  reached  the 
garden-fence,  and  the  black  bulk  of  shadow  rose  out  against 
the  sky,  that  he  saw  a  faint  ray  of  light  from  one  of  the 
lean-to  windows.  He  went  to  the  front  door  and  knocked. 
After  waiting  in  vain  for  a  reply,  he  knocked  again.  The 
second  knock  proving  equally  futile,  he  tried  the  door ;  it 
was  unlocked,  and,  pushing  it  open,  he  walked  in.  The 
narrow  passage  was  quite  dark ;  but  from  his  knowledge  of 
the  house  he  knew  the  "  lean-to  "  was  next  to  the  kitchen, 
and,  passing  through  the  dining-room  into  it,  he  opened 
the  door  of  the  little  room  from  which  the  light  proceeded. 
It  came  from  a  single  candle  on  a  small  table ;  and  beside  it, 
with  his  eyes  moodily  fixed  on  the  dying  embers  of  the  fire, 
sat  old  Slinn.  There  was  no  other  light  nor  another  human 
being  in  the  whole  house. 

For  the  instant  Mulrady,  forgetting  his  own  feelings  in 
the  mute  picture  of  the  utter  desolation  of  the  helpless 
man,  remained  speechless  on  the  threshold.  Then,  recalling 
himself,  he  stepped  forward  and  laid  his  hand  gayly  on  the 
bowed  shoulders. 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  319 

"  Rouse  up  out  o'  this,  old  man  !  Come  !  this  won't  do. 
Look  !  I  've  run  over  here  in  the  rain,  jist  to  have  a  socia- 
ble time  with  you  all." 

"  I  knew  it,"  said  the  old  man,  without  looking  up ;  "I 
knew  you'd  come." 

"  You  knew  I  'd  come  ?  "  echoed  Mulrady,  with  an 
uneasy  return  of  the  strange  feeling  of  awe  with  which  he 
regarded  Slinn's  abstraction. 

"  Yes  ;  you  were  alone  —  like  myself —  all  alone  !  " 

"  Then,  why  in  thunder  did  n't  you  open  the  door  or  sing 
out  just  now  ? "  he  said,  with  an  affected  brusquerie  to 
cover  his  uneasiness.  "  Where 's  your  daughters  ?  " 

"  Gone  to  Rough-and-Ready  to  a  party." 

"  And  your  son  ?  " 

"  He  never  comes  here  when  he  can  amuse  himself  else- 
where." 

"  Your  children  might  have  stayed  home  on  Christmas 
Eve." 

"  So  might  yours." 

He  didn't  say  this  impatiently,  but  with  a  certain  ab- 
stracted conviction  far  beyond  any  suggestion  of  its  being  a 
retort.  Mulrady  did  not  appear  to  notice  it. 

"  Well,  I  don't  see  why  us  old  folks  can't  enjoy  ourselves 
without  them,"  said  Mulrady,  with  affected  cheerfulness. 
"  Let 's  have  a  good  time,  you  and  me.  Let 's  see  —  you 
have  n't  any  one  you  can  send  to  my  house,  hev  you  ?  " 

"  They  took  the  servant  with  them,"  said  Slinn  briefly. 
"  There  is  no  one  here." 

"  All  right,"  said  the  millionaire  briskly.  "  I  '11  go  my- 
self. Do  you  think  you  could  manage  to  light  up  a  little 
more,  and  build  a  fire  in  the  kitchen  while  I  'm  gone  ?  It 
used  to  be  mighty  comfortable  in  the  old  times." 

He  helped  the  old  man  to  rise  from  his  chair,  and  seemed 
to  have  infused  into  him  some  of  his  own  energy.  He  then 
added,  "  Now,  don't  you  get  yourself  down  again  into  that 


320  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

chair  until  I  come  back,"  and  darted  out  into  the  night  once 
more. 

In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  he  returned  with  a  bag  on  his 
broad  shoulders  which  one  of  his  porters  would  have  shrunk 
from  lifting,  and  laid  it  before  the  blazing  hearth  of  the 
now-lighted  kitchen.  "  It 's  something  the  old  woman  got 
for  her  party,  that  didn't  come  off,"  he  said  apologetically. 
"I  reckon  we  can  pick  out  enough  for  a  spread.  That 
darned  Chinaman  would  n't  come  with  me,"  he  added,  with 
a  laugh,  "  because,  he  said,  he  'd  knocked  off  work  '  allee 
same,  Mellican  man  ! '  Look  here,  Slinn,"  he  said,  with  a 
sudden  decisiveness,  "  my  pay-roll  of  the  men  around  here 
don't  run  short  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  day,  and  yet 
I  could  n't  get  a  hand  to  help  me  bring  this  truck  over  for 
my  Christmas  dinner." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Slinn  gloomily. 

"  Of  course  ;  so  it  oughter  be,"  returned  Mulrady  shortly. 
"  Why,  it 's  only  their  one  day  out  of  364 ;  and  I  can  have 
363  days  off,  as  I  am  their  boss.  I  don't  mind  a  man's 
being  independent,"  he  continued,  taking  off  his  coat  and 
beginning  to  unpack  his  sack  —  a  common  "  gunny  bag  "  — 
used  for  potatoes.  "  We  're  independent  ourselves,  ain't  we, 
Slinn  ?  " 

His  good  spirits,  which  had  been  at  first  labored  and 
affected,  had  become  natural.  Slinn,  looking  at  his  brightened 
eye  and  fresher  color,  could  not  help  thinking  he  was  more 
like  his  own  real  self  at  this  moment  than  in  his  counting- 
house  and  offices  —  with  all  his  simplicity  as  a  capitalist. 
A  less  abstracted  and  more  observant  critic  than  Slinn  would 
have  seen  in  this  patient  aptitude  for  real  work,  and  the 
recognition  of  the  force  of  petty  detail,  the  dominance  of  the 
old  market-gardener  in  his  former  humble,  as  well  as  his 
later  more  ambitious  successes. 

"  Heaven  keep  us  from  being  dependent  upon  our  chil- 
dren !  "  said  Slinn  darkly. 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF   ROUGH-AND-READY  321 

"  Let  the  young  ones  alone  to-night ;  we  can  get  along 
without  them,  as  they  can  without  us/'  said  Mulrady,  with 
a  slight  twinge  as  he  thought  of  his  reflections  on  the  hill- 
side. "  But  look  here,  there  's  some  champagne  and  them 
sweet  cordials  that  women  like  j  there 's  jellies  and  such  like 
stuff,  about  as  good  as  they  make  'em,  I  reckon ;  and  pre- 
serves, and  tongues,  and  spiced  beef  —  take  your  pick ! 
Stop,  let 's  spread  them  out."  He  dragged  the  table  to  the 
middle  of  the  floor,  and  piled  the  provisions  upon  it.  They 
certainly  were  not  deficient  in  quality  or  quantity.  "  Now, 
Slinn,  wade  in." 

"  I  don't  feel  hungry,"  said  the  invalid,  who  had  lapsed 
again  into  a  chair  before  the  fire. 

"  No  more  do  I,"  said  Mulrady  ;  "  but  I  reckon  it 's  the 
right  thing  to  do  about  this  time.  Some  folks  think  they 
can't  be  happy  without  they  're  getting  outside  o'  suthin', 
and  my  directors  down  at  'Frisco  can't  do  any  business 
without  a  dinner.  Take  some  champagne,  to  begin  with." 

He  opened  a  bottle,  and  filled  two  tumblers.  "  It 's  past 
twelve  o'clock,  old  man,  so  here 's  a  Merry  Christmas  to  you, 
and  both  of  us  ez  is  here.  And  here 's  another  to  our 
families  —  ez  is  n't." 

They  both  drank  their  wine  stolidly.  The  rain  beat 
against  the  windows  sharply,  but  without  the  hollow  echoes 
of  the  house  on  the  hill.  "  I  must  write  to  the  old  woman 
and  Mamie,  and  say  that  you  and  me  had  a  high  old  time 
on  Christmas  Eve." 

"  By  ourselves,"  added  the  invalid. 

Mr.  Mulrady  coughed.  "  Nat' rally  —  by  ourselves.  And 
her  provisions,"  he  added,  with  a  laugh.  "  We  're  really 
beholden  to  her  for  'em.  If  she  had  n't  thought  of  having 
them  "  - 

"  For  somebody  else,  you  would  n't  have  had  them  — 
would  you  ?  "  said  Slinn  slowly,  gazing  at  the  fire. 

"  No,"  said  Mulrady  dubiously.     After  a  pause  he  began 


322  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF   ROUGH-AND-READY 

more  vivaciously,  and  as  if  to  shake  off  some  disagreeable 
thought  that  was  impressing  him.  "  But  I  must  n't  forget  to 
give  you  your  Christmas,  old  man,  and  I  've  got  it  right 
here  with  me."  He  took  the  folded  envelope  from  his 
pocket,  and,  holding  it  in  his  hand  with  his  elbow  on  the 
table,  continued  :  "  I  don't  mind  telling  you  what  idea  I  had 
in  giving  you  what  I  'm  goin'  to  give  you  now.  I  've  been 
thinking  about  it  for  a  day  or  two.  A  man  like  you  don't 
want  money  —  you  would  n't  spend  it.  A  man  like  you 
don't  want  stocks  or  fancy  investments,  for  you  could  n't 
look  after  them.  A  man  like  you  don't  want  diamonds  and 
jewellery,  nor  a  gold-headed  cane,  when  it 's  got  to  be  used 
as  a  crutch.  No,  sir.  What  you  want  is  suthin'  that  won't 
run  away  from  you  ;  that  is  always  there  before  you  and 
won't  wear  out,  and  will  last  after  you  're  gone.  That 's 
land !  And  if  it  was  n't  that  I  have  sworn  never  to  sell  or 
give  away  this  house  and  that  garden,  if  it  was  n't  that  I  've 
held  out  agin  the  old  woman  and  Mamie  on  that  point,  you 
should  have  this  house  and  that  garden.  But,  mebbe,  for 
the  same  reason  that  I  've  told  you,  I  want  that  land  to 
keep  for  myself.  But  I  've  selected  four  acres  of  the  hill 
this  side  of  my  shaft,  and  here's  the  deed  of  it.  As  soon 
as  you  're  ready,  I  '11  put  you  up  a  house  as  big  as  this  — 
that  shall  be  yours,  with  the  land,  as  long  as  you  live,  old 
man ;  and  after  that  your  children's." 

"  No  ;  not  theirs  !  "  broke  in  the  old  man  passionately. 
"Never!" 

Mulrady  recoiled  for  an  instant  in  alarm  at  the  sudden 
and  unexpected  vehemence  of  his  manner.  "  Go  slow,  old 
man;  go  slow,"  he  said  soothingly.  "Of  course,  you'll 
do  with  your  own  as  you  like."  Then,  as  if  changing  the 
subject,  he  went  on  cheerfully :  "  Perhaps  you  '11  wonder 
why  I  picked  out  that  spot  on  the  hillside.  Well,  first, 
because  I  reserved  it  after  my  strike  in  case  the  lead  should 
run  that  way,  but  it  did  n't.  Next,  because  when  you  first 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  323 

came  here  you  seemed  to  like  the  prospect.  You  used  to 
sit  there  looking  at  it,  as  if  it  reminded  you  of  something. 
You  never  said  it  did.  They  say  you  was  sitting  on  that 
boulder  there  when  you  had  that  last  attack,  you  know  ; 
but,"  he  added  gently,  "  you  've  forgotten  all  about  it." 

"  I  have  forgotten  nothing,"  said  Slinn,  rising,  with  a 
choking  voice.  "  I  wish  to  God  I  had ;  I  wish  to  God  I 
could  ! " 

He  was  on  his  feet  now,  supporting  himself  by  the  table. 
The  subtle  generous  liquor  he  had  drunk  had  evidently 
shaken  his  self-control,  and  burst  those  voluntary  bonds  he 
had  put  upon  himself  for  the  last  six  months ;  the  insidi- 
ous stimulant  had  also  put  a  strange  vigor  into  his  blood 
and  nerves.  His  face  was  flushed,  but  not  distorted ;  his 
eyes  were  brilliant,  but  not  fixed  ;  he  looked  as  he  might 
have  looked  to  Masters  in  his  strength  three  years  before 
on  that  very  hillside. 

"  Listen  to  me,  Alvin  Mulrady,"  he  said,  leaning  over 
him  with  burning  eyes.  "  Listen,  while  I  have  brain  to 
think  and  strength  to  utter,  why  I  have  learnt  to  distrust, 
fear,  and  hate  them !  You  think  you  know  my  story. 
Well,  hear  the  truth  from  me  to-night,  Alvin  Mulrady,  and 
do  not  wonder  if  I  have  cause." 

He  stopped,  and,  with  pathetic  inefficiency,  passed  the 
fingers  and  inward-turned  thumb  of  his  paralyzed  hand 
across  his  mouth,  as  if  to  calm  himself.  "  Three  years  ago 
I  was  a  miner,  but  not  a  miner  like  you  !  I  had  experience, 
I  had  scientific  knowledge,  I  had  a  theory,  and  the  patience 
and  energy  to  carry  it  out.  I  selected  a  spot  that  had  all 
the  indications,  made  a  tunnel,  and,  without  aid,  counsel,  or 
assistance  of  any  kind,  worked  it  for  six  months,  without 
rest  or  cessation,  and  with  scarcely  food  enough  to  sustain 
jny  body.  Well,  I  made  a  strike  ;  not  like  you,  Mulrady, 
not  a  blunder  of  good  luck,  a  fool's  fortune  —  there,  I  don't 
blame  you  for  it  —  but  in  perfect  demonstration  of  my 


324  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

theory,  the  reward  of  my  labor.  It  was  no  pocket,  but  a 
vein,  a  lead,  that  I  had  regularly  hunted  down  and  found 
—  a  fortune  ! 

"  I  never  knew  how  hard  I  had  worked  until  that  morn- 
ing ;  I  never  knew  what  privations  I  had  undergone  until 
that  moment  of  my  success,  when  I  found  I  could  scarcely 
think  or  move !  I  staggered  out  into  the  open  air.  The 
only  human  soul  near  me  was  a  disappointed  prospector,  a 
man  named  Masters,  who  had  a  tunnel  not  far  away.  I 
managed  to  conceal  from  him  my  good  fortune  and  my 
feeble  state,  for  I  was  suspicious  of  him  —  of  any  one;  and 
as  he  was  going  away  that  day  I  thought  I  could  keep  my 
secret  until  he  was  gone.  I  was  dizzy  and  confused,  but  I 
remember  that  I  managed  to  write  a  letter  to  my  wife,  tell- 
ing her  of  my  good  fortune,  and  begging  her  to  come  to 
me  j  and  I  remember  that  I  saw  Masters  go.  I  don't  re- 
member anything  else.  They  picked  me  up  on  the  road, 
near  that  boulder,  as  you  know." 

"  I  know,"  said  Mulrady,  with  a  swift  recollection  of  the 
stage-driver's  account  of  his  discovery. 

"  They  say,"  continued  Slinn  tremblingly,  "  that  I  never 
recovered  my  senses  or  consciousness  for  nearly  three  years ; 
they  say  I  lost  my  memory  completely  during  my  illness, 
and  that  by  God's  mercy,  while  I  lay  in  that  hospital,  I 
knew  no  more  than  a  babe  ;  they  say,  because  I  could  not 
speak  or  move,  and  only  had  my  food  as  nature  required  it, 
that  I  was  an  imbecile,  and  that  I  never  really  came  to  my 
senses  until  after  my  son  found  me  in  the  hospital.  They 
say  that  —  but  I  tell  you  to-night,  Alvin  Mulrady,"  he 
said,  raising  his  voice  to  a  hoarse  outcry,  "  I  tell  you  that 
it  is  a  lie  !  I  came  to  my  senses  a  week  after  I  lay  on  that 
hospital  cot ;  I  kept  my  senses  and  memory  ever  after  dur- 
ing the  three  years  that  I  was  there,  until  Harry  brought 
his  cold,  hypocritical  face  to  my  bedside  and  recognized  me. 
Do  you  understand  ?  I,  the  possessor  of  millions,  lay  there 


A  MILLIONAIRE  OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  325 

a  pauper  !  Deserted  by  wife  and  children  —  a  spectacle  for 
the  curious,  a  sport  for  the  doctors  —  and  I  knew  it  !  I 
heard  them  speculate  on  the  cause  of  my  helplessness. 
I  heard  them  talk  of  excesses  and  indulgences  —  I,  that 
never  knew  wine  or  woman  !  I  heard  a  preacher  speak 
of  the  finger  of  God,  and  point  to  me.  May  God  curse 
him  ! " 

"  Go  slow,  old  man ;  go  slow,"  said  Mulrady  gently. 

"  I  heard  them  speak  of  me  as  a  friendless  man,  an  out- 
cast, a  criminal,  —  a  being  whom  no  one  would  claim. 
They  were  right;  no  one  claimed  me.  The  friends  of 
others  visited  them ;  relations  came  and  took  away  their 
kindred ;  a  few  lucky  ones  got  well ;  a  few,  equally  lucky, 
died !  I  alone  lived  on,  uncared  for,  deserted. 

"  The  first  year,"  he  went  on  more  rapidly,  "  I  prayed 
for  their  coming.  I  looked  for  them  every  day.  I  never 
lost  hope.  I  said  to  myself,  l  She  has  not  got  my  letter ; 
but  when  the  time  passes  she  will  be  alarmed  by  my  silence, 
and  then  she  will  come  or  send  some  one  to  seek  me.'  A 
young  student  got  interested  in  my  case,  and,  by  studying 
my  eyes,  thought  that  I  was  not  entirely  imbecile  and  un- 
conscious. With  the  aid  of  an  alphabet,  he  got  me  to  spell 
my  name  and  town  in  Illinois,  and  promised  by  signs  to 
write  to  my  family.  But  in  an  evil  moment  I  told  him  of 
my  cursed  fortune,  and  in  that  moment  I  saw  that  he 
thought  me  a  fool  and  an  idiot.  He  went  away,  and  I  saw 
him  no  more.  Yet  I  still  hoped.  I  dreamed  of  their  joy 
at  finding  me,  and  the  reward  that  my  wealth  would  give 
them.  Perhaps  I  was  a  little  weak  still,  perhaps  a  little 
flighty,  too,  at  times;  but  I  was  quite  happy  that  year, 
even  in  my  disappointment,  for  I  still  had  hope  !  " 

He  paused,  and  again  composed  his  face  with  his  paralyzed 
hand;  but  his  manner  had  become  less  excited,  and  his 
voice  was  stronger. 

ft  A  change  must  have  come  over  me  the  second  year,  for 


326  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

I  only  dreaded  their  coming  now  and  finding  me  so  altered. 
A  horrible  idea  that  they  might,  like  the  student,  believe 
me  crazy  if  I  spoke  of  my  fortune  made  me  pray  to  God 
that  they  might  not  reach  me  until  after  I  had  regained  my 
health  and  strength  —  and  found  my  fortune.  When  the 
third  year  found  me  still  there  —  I  no  longer  prayed  for 
them  —  I  cursed  them  !  I  swore  to  myself  that  they  should 
never  enjoy  my  wealth  ;  but  I  wanted  to  live,  and  let  them 
know  I  had  it.  I  found  myself  getting  stronger ;  but  as 
I  had  no  money,  no  friends,  and  nowhere  to  go,  I  con- 
cealed my  real  condition  from  the  doctors,  except  to  give 
them  my  name,  and  to  try  to  get  some  little  work  to  do 
to  enable  me  to  leave  the  hospital  and  seek  my  lost  trea- 
sure. One  day  I  found  out  by  accident  that  it  had  been 
discovered  !  You  understand  —  my  treasure !  —  that  had 
cost  me  years  of  labor  and  my  reason  ;  had  left  me  a  help- 
less, forgotten  pauper.  That  gold  I  had  never  enjoyed  had 
been  found  and  taken  possession  of  by  another !  " 

He  checked  an  exclamation  from  Mulrady  with  his  hand. 
"  They  say  they  picked  me  up  senseless  from  the  floor, 
where  I  must  have  fallen  when  I  heard  the  news  —  I  don't 
remember  —  I  recall  nothing  until  I  was  confronted,  nearly 
three  weeks  after,  by  my  son,  who  had  called  at  the  hospi- 
tal, as  a  reporter  for  a  paper,  and  had  accidentally  dis- 
covered me  through  my  name  and  appearance.  He  thought 
me  crazy,  or  a  fool.  I  did  n't  undeceive  him.  I  did  not 
tell  him  the  story  of  the  mine  to  excite  his  doubts  and 
derision,  or,  worse  (if  I  could  bring  proof  to  claim  it),  have 
it  perhaps  pass  into  his  ungrateful  hands.  No ;  I  said 
nothing.  I  let  him  bring  me  here.  He  could  do  no  less, 
and  common  decency  obliged  him  to  do  that." 

"  And  what  proof  could  you  show  of  your  claim  ?  "  asked 
Mulrady  gravely. 

"If  I  had  that  letter  — if  I  could  find  Masters,"  began 
Slinn  vaguely. 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  327 

"  Have  you  any  idea  where  the  letter  is,  or  what  has  be- 
come of  Masters  ?  "  continued  Mulrady,  with  a  matter-of- 
fact  gravity  that  seemed  to  increase  Slum's  vagueness  and 
excite  his  irritability. 

"  I  don't  know  —  I  sometimes  think  "  —  He  stopped, 
sat  down  again,  and  passed  his  hands  across  his  forehead. 
"  I  have  seen  the  letter  somewhere  since.  Yes,"  he  went 
on  with  sudden  vehemence,  "  I  know  it,  I  have  seen  it ! 
I  "  —  His  brows  knitted,  his  features  began  to  work  con- 
vulsively ;  he  suddenly  brought  his  paralyzed  hand  down, 
partly  opened,  upon  the  table.  "  I  will  remember  where." 

"  Go  slow,  old  man ;  go  slow." 

"You  asked  me  once  about  my  visions.  Well,  that  is 
one  of  them.  I  remember  a  man  somewhere  showing  me 
that  letter.  I  have  taken  it  from  his  hands  and  opened  it, 
and  knew  it  was  mine  by  the  specimens  of  gold  that  were 
in  it.  But  where  —  or  when  —  or  what  became  of  it,  I 
cannot  tell.  It  will  come  to  me  —  it  must  come  to  me 
soon." 

He  turned  his  eyes  upon  Mulrady,  who  was  regarding 
him  with  an  expression  of  grave  curiosity,  and  said  bitterly, 
"  You  think  me  crazy.  I  know  it.  It  needed  only  this." 

"  Where  is  this  mine  ?  "  asked  Mulrady,  without  heed- 
ing him. 

The  old  man's  eyes  swiftly  sought  the  ground. 

"  It  is  a  secret,  then  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  You  have  spoken  of  it  to  any  one  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Not  to  the  man  who  possesses  it  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Why  ?  " 

"  Because  I  would  n't  take  it  from  him." 

"  Why  would  n't  you  ?  " 

"  Because  that  man  is  yourself  !  " 


328  A  MILLIONAIRE  OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

In  the  instant  of  complete  silence  that  followed  they 
could  hear  that  the  monotonous  patter  of  rain  on  the  roof 
had  ceased. 

"  Then  all  this  was  in  my  shaft,  and  the  vein  I  thought 
I  struck  there  was  your  lead,  found  three  years  ago  in  your 
tunnel.  Is  that  your  idea  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Then  I  don't  sabe  why  you  don't  want  to  claim  it." 

"  I  have  told  you  why  I  don't  want  it  for  my  children. 
I  go  further,  now,  and  I  tell  you,  Alvin  Mulrady,  that  I 
was  willing  that  your  children  should  squander  it,  as  they 
were  doing.  It  has  only  heen  a  curse  to  me ;  it  could 
only  he  a  curse  to  them  ;  hut  I  thought  you  were  happy 
in  seeing  it  feed  selfishness  and  vanity.  You  think  me 
bitter  and  hard.  Well,  I  should  have  left  you  in  your 
fool's  paradise,  but  that  I  saw  to-night,  when  you  came 
here,  that  your  eyes  had  been  opened  like  mine.  You, 
the  possessor  of  my  wealth,  my  treasure,  could  not  buy 
your  children's  loving  care  and  company  with  your  mil- 
lions, any  more  than  I  could  keep  mine  in  my  poverty. 
You  were  to-night  lonely  and  forsaken,  as  I  was.  We 
were  equal,  for  the  first  time  in  our  lives.  If  that  cursed 
gold  had  dropped  down  the  shaft  between  us  into  the  hell 
from  which  it  sprang,  we  might  have  clasped  hands  like 
brothers  across  the  chasm." 

Mulrady,  who  in  a  friendly  show  of  being  at  his  ease 
had  not  yet  resumed  his  coat,  rose  in  his  shirt-sleeves,  and, 
standing  before  the  hearth,  straightened  his  square  figure 
by  drawing  down  his  waistcoat  on  each  side  with  two 
powerful  thumbs.  After  a  moment's  contemplative  sur- 
vey of  the  floor  between  him  and  the  speaker,  he  raised 
his  eyes  to  Slinn.  They  were  small  and  colorless ;  the 
forehead  above  them  was  low,  and  crowned  with  a  shock 
of  tawny  reddish  hair  ;  even  the  rude  strength  of  his  lower 
features  was  enfeebled  by  a  long,  straggling,  goat-like 


Go  slow,  old  man  j  go  slow 


A  MILLIONAIRE  OF   ROUGH-AND-READY  329 

beard  ;  but  for  the  first  time  in  his  life  the  whole  face  was 
impressed  and  transformed  with  a  strong  and  simple  dig- 
nity. 

"  Ez  far  ez  I  kin  see,  Slinn,"  he  said  gravely,  "  the 
pint  between  you  and  me  ain't  to  be  settled  by  our  chil- 
dren, or  wot  we  allow  is  doo  and  right  from  them  to  us. 
Afore  we  preach  at  them  for  playing  in  the  slumgullion, 
and  gettin'  themselves  splashed,  perhaps  we  mout  ez  well 
remember  that  that  thar  slumgullion  comes  from  our  own 
sluice-boxes,  where  we  wash  our  gold.  So  we  '11  just  put 
them  behind  us,  so,"  he  continued,  with  a  backward  sweep 
of  his  powerful  hand  towards  the  chimney,  "  and  goes  on. 
The  next  thing  that  crops  up  ahead  of  us  is  your  three 
years  in  the  hospital,  and  wot  you  went  through  at  that 
time.  I  ain't  sayin'  it  was  n't  rough  on  you,  and  that  you 
did  n't  have  it  about  as  big  as  it 's  made  ;  but  ez  you  '11 
allow  that  you  'd  hev  had  that  for  three  years,  whether  I  'd 
found  your  mine  or  whether  I  had  n't,  I  think  we  can  put 
that  behind  us,  too.  There  's  nothin'  now  left  to  prospect 
but  your  story  of  your  strike.  Well,  take  your  own 
proofs.  Masters  is  not  here ;  and  if  he  was,  accordin'  to 
your  own  story,  he  knows  nothin'  of  your  strike  that  day, 
and  could  only  prove  you  were  a  disappointed  prospector 
in  a  tunnel ;  your  letter  —  that  the  person  you  wrote  to 
never  got  —  you  can't  produce  ;  and  if  you  did,  would  be 
only  your  own  story  without  proof !  There  is  not  a  busi- 
ness man  ez  would  look  at  your  claim ;  there  is  n't  a  friend 
of  yours  that  would  n't  believe  you  were  crazy,  and  dreamed 
it  all ;  there  is  n't  a  rival  of  yours  ez  would  n't  say  ez 
you  'd  invented  it.  Slinn,  I  'm  a  business  man  —  I  am 
your  friend  —  I  am  your  rival  —  but  I  don't  think  you  're 
lyin' — I  don't  think  you're  crazy — and  I'm  not  sure 
your  claim  ain't  a  good  one  ! 

"Ef  you  reckon  from  that  that  I  'm  goin'  to  hand  you 
over  the  mine  to-morrow,"  he  went  on,  after  a  pause,  raising 


330  A  MILLIONAIRE  OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

his  hand  with  a  deprecating  gesture,  "  you  're  mistaken. 
For  your  own  sake,  and  the  sake  of  my  wife  and  children, 
you  've  got  to  prove  it  more  clearly  than  you  hev ;  but  I 
promise  you  that  from  this  night  forward  I  will  spare  neither 
time  nor  money  to  help  you  to  do  it.  I  have  more  than 
doubled  the  amount  that  you  would  have  had,  had  you 
taken  the  mine  the  day  you  came  from  the  hospital.  When 
you  prove  to  me  that  your  story  is  true  —  and  we  will  find 
some  way  to  prove  it,  if  it  is  true  —  that  amount  will  be 
yours  at  once,  without  the  need  of  a  word  from  law  or  law- 
yers. If  you  want  my  name  to  that  in  black  and  white, 
come  to  the  office  to-morrow,  and  you  shall  have  it." 

"  And  you  think  I  '11  take  it  now  ?  "  said  the  old  man 
passionately.  "  Do  you  think  that  your  charity  will  bring 
back  my  dead  wife,  the  three  years  of  my  lost  life,  the  love 
and  respect  of  my  children  ?  Or  do  you  think  that  your 
own  wife  and  children,  who  deserted  you  in  your  wealth, 
will  come  back  to  you  in  your  poverty  ?  No  !  Let  the  mine 
stay,  with  its  curse,  where  it  is  —  I  '11  have  none  of  it !  " 

"  Go  slow,  old  man ;  go  slow,"  said  Mulrady  quietly, 
putting  on  his  coat.  "  You  will  take  the  mine  if  it  is  yours ; 
if  it  is  n't  I  '11  keep  it.  If  it  is  yours,  you  will  give  your 
children  a  chance  to  show  what  they  can  do  for  you  in  your 
sudden  prosperity,  as  I  shall  give  mine  a  chance  to  show 
how  they  can  stand  reverse  and  disappointment.  If  my 
head  is  level  —  and  I  reckon  it  is  —  they  '11  both  pan  out 
all  right." 

He  turned  and  opened  the  door.  With  a  quick  revulsion 
of  feeling,  Slinn  suddenly  seized  Mulrady's  hand  between 
both  of  his  own,  and  raised  it  to  his  lips.  Mulrady  smiled, 
disengaged  his  hand  gently,  and  saying  soothingly,  "  Go  slow, 
old  man  ;  go  slow,"  closed  the  door  behind  him,  and  passed 
out  into  the  clear  Christmas  dawn. 

For  the  stars,  with  the  exception  of  one  that  seemed  to 
sparkle  brightly  over  the  shaft  of  his  former  fortunes,  were 


A  MILLION AIEE  OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  331 

slowly  paling.  A  burden  seemed  to  have  fallen  from  his 
square  shoulders  as  he  stepped  out  sturdily  into  the  morning 
air.  He  had  already  forgotten  the  lonely  man  hehind  him, 
for  he  was  thinking  only  of  his  wife  and  daughter.  And  at 
the  same  moment  they  were  thinking  of  him ;  and  in  their 
elaborate  villa  overlooking  the  blue  Mediterranean  at  Cannes 
were  discussing,  in  the  event  of  Mamie's  marriage  with 
Prince  Rosso  e  Negro,  the  possibility  of  Mr.  Mulrady's  pay- 
ing two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  the  gambling 
debts  of  that  unfortunate  but  deeply  conscientious  noble- 
man. 


CHAPTEK  YI 

WHEN  Alvin  Mulrady  reentered  his  own  house,  he  no 
longer  noticed  its  loneliness.  Whether  the  events  of  the 
last  few  hours  had  driven  it  from  his  mind,  or  whether  his 
late  reflections  had  repeopled  it  with  his  family  under  plea- 
santer  auspices,  it  would  be  difficult  to  determine.  Desti- 
tute as  he  was  of  imagination,  and  matter-of-fact  in  his 
judgments,  he  realized  his  new  situation  as  calmly  as  he 
would  have  considered  any  business  proposition.  While  he 
was  decided  to  act  upon  his  moral  convictions  purely,  he 
was  prepared  to  submit  the  facts  of  Slinn's  claim  to  the 
usual  patient  and  laborious  investigation  of  his  practical 
mind.  It  was  the  least  he  could  do  to  justify  the  ready 
and  almost  superstitious  assent  he  had  given  to  Slinn's 
story. 

When  he  had  made  a  few  memoranda  at  his  desk  by  the 
growing  light,  he  again  took  the  key  of  the  attic,  and 
ascended  to  the  loft  that  held  the  tangible  memories  of  his 
past  life.  If  he  was  still  under  the  influence  of  his  reflec- 
tions, it  was  with  very  different  sensations  that  he  now 
regarded  them.  Was  it  possible  that  these  ashes  might  be 
warmed  again,  and  these  scattered  embers  rekindled  ?  His 
practical  sense  said  No  !  whatever  his  wish  might  have 
been.  A  sudden  chill  came  over  him  ;  he  began  to  realize 
the  terrible  change  that  was  probable,  more  by  the  impossi- 
bility of  his  accepting  the  old  order  of  things  than  by  his 
voluntarily  abandoning  the  new.  His  wife  and  children 
would  never  submit.  They  would  go  away  from  this  place, 
far  away,  where  no  reminiscence  of  either  former  wealth  or 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  333 

former  poverty  could  obtrude  itself  upon  them.  Mamie  — 
his  Mamie  —  should  never  go  hack  to  the  cabin,  since 
desecrated  by  Slum's  daughters,  and  take  their  places.  No  ! 
Why  should  she  ?  —  because  of  the  half-sick,  half-crazy 
dreams  of  an  old  vindictive  man  ? 

He  stopped  suddenly.  In  moodily  turning  over  a  heap 
of  mining  clothing,  blankets,  and  india-rubber  boots,  he  had 
come  upon  an  old  pickaxe  —  the  one  he  had  found  in  the 
shaft ;  the  one  he  had  carefully  preserved  for  a  year,  and 
then  forgotten  !  Why  had  he  not  remembered  it  before  ? 
He  was  frightened,  not  only  at  this  sudden  resurrection  of 
the  proof  he  was  seeking,  but  at  his  own  fateful  forgetful- 
ness.  Why  had  he  never  thought  of  this  when  Slinn  was 
speaking  ?  A  sense  of  shame^as  if  he  had  voluntarily  with- 
held it  from  the  wronged  man,  swept  over  him.  He  was 
turning  away,  when  he  was  again  startled. 

This  time  it  was  by  a  voice  from  below — a  voice  calling 
him  —  Slinn's  voice.  How  had  the  crippled  man  got  here 
so  'soon,  and  what  did  he  want  ?  He  hurriedly  laid  aside 
the  pick,  which,  in  his  first  impulse,  he  had  taken  to  the 
door  of  the  loft  with  him,  and  descended  the  stairs.  The 
old  man  was  standing  at  the  door  of  his  office  awaiting  him. 

As  Mulrady  approached,  he  trembled  violently,  and  clung 
to  the  door-post  for  support. 

"  I  had  to  come  over,  Mulrady,"  he  said  in  a  choked 
voice  ;  "  I  could  stand  it  there  no  longer.  I  've  come  to 
beg  you  to  forget  all  that  I  have  said ;  to  drive  all  thought 
of  what  passed  between  us  last  night  out  of  your  head  and 
mine  forever !  I  've  come  to  ask  you  to  swear  with  me 
that  neither  of  us  will  ever  speak  of  this  again  forever.  It 
is  not  worth  the  happiness  I  have  had  in  your  friendship 
for  the  last  half-year  ;  it  is  not  worth  the  agony  I  have 
suffered  in  its  loss  in  the  last  half-hour." 

Mulrady  grasped  his  outstretched  hand.  "  PVaps,"  he 
said  gravely,  "  there  may  n't  be  any  use  for  another  word, 


334  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

if  you  can  answer  one  now.  Come  with  me.  No  matter," 
he  added,  as  Slinn  moved  with  difficulty  ;  "  I  will  help 
you." 

He  half  supported,  half  lifted  the  paralyzed  man  up  the 
three  nights  of  stairs,  and  opened  the  door  of  the  loft. 
The  pick  was  leaning  against  the  wall,  where  he  had  left  it. 
"  Look  around,  and  see  if  you  recognize  anything." 

The  old  man's  eyes  fell  upon  the  implement  in  a  half- 
frightened  way,  and  then  lifted  themselves  interrogatively 
to  Mulrady's  face. 

"  Do  you  know  that  pick  ?  " 

Slinn  raised  it  in  his  trembling  hands.  "  I  think  I  do  j 
and  yet "  - 

"  Slinn  !  is  it  yours  ?  " 

"  No,"  he  said  hurriedly. 

"  Then  what  makes  you  think  you  know  it  ?  " 

"  It  has  a  short  handle  like  one  I  have  seen." 

"And  it  isn't  yours?" 

"  No.  The  handle  of  mine  was  broken  and  spliced.'  I 
was  too  poor  to  buy  a  new  one." 

"  Then  you  say  that  this  pick  which  I  found  in  my  shaft 
is  not  yours  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Slinn  !  " 

The  old  man  passed  his  hand  across  his  forehead,  looked 
at  Mulrady,  and  dropped  his  eyes.  "  It  is  not  mine,"  he 
said  simply. 

"  That  will  do,"  said  Mulrady  gravely. 

"  And  you  will  not  speak  of  this  again  ?  "  said  the  old 
man  timidly. 

"  I  promise  you  —  not  until  I  have  some  more  evi- 
dence." 

He  kept  his  word,  but  not  before  he  had  extorted  from 
Slinn  as  full  a  description  of  Masters  as  his  imperfect 
memory  and  still  more  imperfect  knowledge  of  his  former 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF   ROUGH-AND-READY  335 

neighbor  could  furnish.  He  placed  this,  with  a  large  sum 
of  money  and  the  promise  of  a  still  larger  reward,  in  the 
hands  of  a  trustworthy  agent.  When  this  was  done  he  re- 
sumed his  old  relations  with  Slinn,  with  the  exception  that 
the  domestic  letters  of  Mrs.  Mulrady  and  Mamie  were  no 
longer  a  subject  of  comment,  and  their  bills  no  longer 
passed  through  his  private  secretary's  hands. 

Three  months  passed ;  the  rainy  season  had  ceased,  the 
hillsides  around  Mulrady's  shaft  were  bridal-like  with 
flowers ;  indeed,  there  were  rumors  of  an  approaching 
fashionable  marriage  in  the  air,  and  vague  hints  in  the 
"  Record  "  that  the  presence  of  a  distinguished  capitalist 
might  soon  be  required  abroad.  The  face  of  that  distin- 
guished man  did  not,  however,  reflect  the  gayety  of  nature 
nor  the  anticipation  of  happiness  ;  on  the  contrary,  for  the 
past  few  weeks,  he  had  appeared  disturbed  and  anxious, 
and  that  rude  tranquillity  which  had  characterized  him  was 
wanting.  People  shook  their  heads  ;  a  few  suggested  specu- 
lations ;  all  agreed  on  extravagance. 

One  morning,  after  office  hours,  Slinn,  who  had  been 
watching  the  careworn  face  of  his  employer,  suddenly  rose 
and  limped  to  his  side. 

"We  promised  each  other,"  he  said  in  a  voice  trem- 
bling with  emotion,  "  never  to  allude  to  our  talk  of  Christ- 
mas Eve  again  unless  we  had  other  proofs  of  what  I  told 
you  then.  We  have  none ;  I  don't  believe  we  '11  ever 
have  any  more.  I  don't  care  if  we  never  do,  and  I  break 
that  promise  now  because  I  cannot  bear  to  see  you  unhappy 
and  know  that  this  is  the  cause." 

Mulrady  made  a  motion  of  deprecation,  but  the  old  man 
continued :  — 

"  You  are  unhappy,  Alvin  Mulrady.  You  are  unhappy, 
because  you  want  to  give  your  daughter  a  dowry  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  you  will  not  use 
the  fortune  that  you  think  may  be  mine." 


336  A  MILLIONAIEE  OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

"  Who  's  been  talking  about  a  dowry  ?  "  asked  Mulrady, 
with  an  angry  flush. 

"  Don  Caesar  Alvarado  told  my  daughter." 

"  Then  that  is  why  he  has  thrown  off  on  me  since  he  re- 
turned," said  Mulrady,  with  sudden  small  malevolence, 
"just  that  he  might  unload  his  gossip  because  Mamie 
would  n't  have  him.  The  old  woman  was  right  in  warnin' 
me  agin  him." 

The  outburst  was  so  unlike  him,  and  so  dwarfed  his 
large  though  common  nature  with  its  littleness,  that  it  was 
easy  to  detect  its  feminine  origin,  although  it  filled  Slinn 
with  vague  alarm. 

"  Never  mind  him,"  said  the  old  man  hastily ;  "  what 
I  wanted  to  say  now  is  that  I  abandon  everything  to  you 
and  yours.  There  are  no  proofs ;  there  never  will  be  any 
more  than  what  we  know,  than  what  we  have  tested  and 
found  wanting.  I  swear  to  you  that,  except  to  show  you 
that  I  have  not  lied  and  am  not  crazy,  I  would  destroy 
them  on  their  way  to  your  hands.  Keep  the  money,  and 
spend  it  as  you  will.  Make  your  daughter  happy,  and, 
through  her,  yourself.  You  have  made  me  happy  through 
your  liberality ;  don't  make  me  suffer  through  your  priva- 
tion." 

"  I  tell  you  what,  old  man,"  said  Mulrady,  rising  to  his 
feet,  with  an  awkward  mingling  of  frankness  and  shame  in 
his  manner  and  accent,  "  I  should  like  to  pay  that  money 
for  Mamie,  and  let  her  be  a  princess,  if  it  would  make  her 
happy.  I  should  like  to  shut  the  lantern  jaws  of  that  Don 
Caesar,  who  'd  be  too  glad  if  anything  happened  to  break  off 
Mamie's  match.  But  I  should  n't  touch  that  capital  —  un- 
less you  'd  lend  it  to  me.  If  you  '11  take  a  note  from  me, 
payable  if  the  property  ever  becomes  yours,  I  'd  thank  you. 
A  mortgage  on  the  old  house  and  garden,  and  the  lands  I 
bought  of  Don  Ca3sar,  outside  the  mine,  will  screen  you." 

"  If  that  pleases  you,"  said  the  old  man,  with  a  smile 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  337 

"  have  your  way  ;  and  if  I  tear  up  the  note,  it  does  not 
concern  you." 

It  did  please  the  distinguished  capitalist  of  Rough-and- 
Eeady  ;  for  the  next  few  days  his  face  wore  a  brightened 
expression,  and  he  seemed  to  have  recovered  his  old  tranquil- 
lity. There  was,  in  fact,  a  slight  touch  of  consequence  in 
his  manner,  the  first  ostentation  he  had  ever  indulged  in, 
when  he  was  informed  one  morning  at  his  private  office  that 
Don  CsBsar  Alvarado  was  in  the  counting-house,  desiring  a 
few  moments'  conference.  "  Tell  him  to  come  in,"  said 
Mulrady  shortly.  The  door  opened  upon  Don  Csesar  — 
erect,  sallow,  and  grave.  Mulrady  had  not  seen  him  since 
his  return  from  Europe,  and  even  his  inexperienced  eyes 
were  struck  with  the  undeniable  ease  and  grace  with  which 
the  young  Spanish- American  had  assimilated  the  style  and 
fashion  of  an  older  civilization.  It  seemed  rather  as  if  he 
had  returned  to  a  familiar  condition  than  adopted  a  new 
one. 

"  Take  a  cheer,"  said  Mulrady. 

The  young  man  looked  at  Slinn  with  quietly  persistent 
significance. 

"  You  can  talk  all  the  same,"  said  Mulrady,  accepting 
the  significance.  "  He  's  my  private  secretary." 

"  It  seems  that  for  that  reason  we  might  choose  another 
moment  for  our  conversation,"  returned  Don  Csesar  haugh- 
tily. "  Do  I  understand  you  cannot  see  me  now  ?  " 

Mulrady  hesitated.  He  had  always  revered  and  recognized 
a  certain  social  superiority  in  Don  Ramon  Alvarado ;  some- 
how his  son  —  a  young  man  of  half  his  age,  and  once  a 
possible  son-in-law  —  appeared  to  claim  that  recognition 
also.  He  rose,  without  a  \vord,  and  preceded  Don  Csesar 
upstairs  into  his  drawing-room.  The  alien  portrait  on  the 
wall  seemed  to  evidently  take  sides  with  Don  Csesar,  as 
against  the  common  intruder,  Mulrady. 

"  I  hoped  the  Senora  Mulrady  might  have  saved  me  this 


338  A  MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

interview,"  said  the  young  man  stiffly  ;  "  or  at  least  have 
given  you  some  intimation  of  the  reason  why  I  seek  it.  As 
you  just  now  proposed  my  talking  to  you  in  the  presence 
of  the  unfortunate  Senor  Esslinn  himself,  it  appears  she  has 
not." 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  're  driving  at,  or  what  Mrs. 
Mulrady  ?s  got  to  do  with  Slinn  or  you,"  said  Mulrady  in 
angry  uneasiness. 

"  Do  I  understand,"  said  Don  Caesar  sternly,  "  that 
Seiiora  Mulrady  has  not  told  you  that  I  entrusted  to  her  an 
important  letter,  belonging  to  Senor  Esslinn,  which  I  had 
the  honor  to  discover  in  the  wood  six  months  ago,  and  which 
she  said  she  would  refer  to  you  ?  " 

" Letter?"  echoed  Mulrady  slowly;  "my  wife  had  a 
letter  of  Slinn's  ?  " 

Don  Caesar  regarded  the  millionaire  attentively.  "  It  is 
as  I  feared,"  he  said  gravely.  "  You  do  not  know,  or  you 
would  not  have  remained  silent."  He  then  briefly  recounted 
the  story  of  his  finding  Slinn's  letter,  his  exhibition  of  it  to 
the  invalid,  its  disastrous  effect  upon  him,  and  his  innocent 
discovery  of  the  contents.  "  I  believed  myself  at  that  time 
on  the  eve  of  being  allied  with  your  family,  Senor  Mul- 
rady," he  said  haughtily  ;  "  and  when  I  found  myself  in 
possession  of  a  secret  which  affected  its  integrity  and  good 
name,  I  did  not  choose  to  leave  it  in  the  helpless  hands  of 
its  imbecile  owner,  or  his  sillier  children,  but  proposed  to 
trust  it  to  the  care  of  the  senora,  that  she  and  you  might 
deal  with  it  as  became  your  honor  and  mine.  I  followed 
her  to  Paris,  and  gave  her  the  letter  there.  She  affected  to 
laugh  at  any  pretension  of  the  writer,  or  any  claim  he  might 
have  on  your  bounty;  but  she  kept  the  letter,  and,  I  fear, 
destroyed  it.  You  will  understand,  Senor  Mulrady,  that 
when  I  found  that  my  attentions  were  no  longer  agreeable  to 
your  daughter,  I  had  no  longer  the  right  to  speak  to  you  on 
the  subject,  nor  could  I,  without  misapprehension,  force  her 


A  MILLIONAIRE   OF   ROUGH-AND-READY  339 

to  return  it.  I  should  have  still  kept  the  secret  to  myself, 
if  I  had  not  since  my  return  here  made  the  nearer  acquaint- 
ance of  Senor  Esslinn's  daughters.  I  cannot  present  my- 
self at  his  house  as  a  suitor  for  the  hand  of  the  Senorita 
Vashti,  until  I  have  asked  his  absolution  for  my  complicity 
in  the  wrong  that  has  been  done  to  him.  I  cannot,  as  a 
caballero,  do  that  without  your  permission.  It  is  for  that 
purpose  I  am  here." 

It  needed  only  this  last  blow  to  complete  the  humilia- 
tion that  whitened  Mulrady's  face.  But  his  eye  was  none 
the  less  clear  and  his  voice  none  the  less  steady  as  he 
turned  to  Don  Caesar. 

"  You  know  perfectly  the  contents  of  that  letter  ?  " 

"  I  have  kept  a  copy  of  it." 

"  Come  with  me." 

He  preceded  his  visitor  down  the  staircase  and  back  into 
his  private  office.  Slinn  looked  up  at  his  employer's  face 
in  unrestrained  anxiety.  Mulrady  sat  down  at  his  desk, 
wrote  a  few  hurried  lines,  and  rang  a  bell.  A  manager 
appeared  from  the  counting-room. 

"  Send  that  to  the  bank." 

He  wiped  his  pen  as  methodically  as  if  he  had  not  at 
that  moment  countermanded  the  order  to  pay  his  daugh- 
ter's dowry,  and  turned  quietly  to  Slinn. 

"  Don  Caesar  Alvarado  has  found  the  letter  you  wrote 
your  wife  on  the  day  you  made  your  strike  in  the  tunnel 
that  is  now  my  shaft.  He  gave  the  letter  to  Mrs.  Mul- 
rady ;  but  he  has  kept  a  copy." 

Unheeding  the  frightened  gesture  of  entreaty  from  Slinn, 
equally  with  the  unfeigned  astonishment  of  Don  Caesar, 
who  was  entirely  unprepared  for  this  revelation  of  Mul- 
rady's and  Slinn's  confidences,  he  continued :  "  He  has 
brought  the  copy  with  him.  I  reckon  it  would  be  only 
square  for  you  to  compare  it  with  what  you  remember  of 
the  original." 


340  A  MILLIONAIRE  OF  ROUGH-AND-READY 

In  obedience  to  a  gesture  from  Mulrady,  Don  Caesar  me- 
chanically took  from  his  pocket  a  folded  paper,  and  handed 
it  to  the  paralytic.  But  Slimi's  trembling  fingers  could 
scarcely  unfold  the  paper;  and  as  his  eyes  fell  upon  its 
contents,  his  convulsive  lips  could  not  articulate  a  word. 

"P'r'aps  I'd  better  read  it  for  you,"  said  Mulrady 
gently.  "  You  kin  follow  me  and  stop  me  when  I  go 
wrong." 

He  took  the  paper,  and,  in  a  dead  silence,  read  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

"  DEAR  WIFE,  —  I  've  just  struck  gold  in  my  tunnel, 
and  you  must  get  ready  to  come  here  with  the  children,  at 
once.  It  was  after  six  months'  hard  work  ;  and  I  'm  so 
weak  I  ...  It 's  a  fortune  for  us  all.  We  should  be  rich 
even  if  it  were  only  a  branch  vein  dipping  west  towards 
the  next  tunnel,  instead  of  dipping  east,  according  to  my 
theory  "  - 

"  Stop  !  "  said  Slinn  in  a  voice  that  shook  the  room. 

Mulrady  looked  up. 

"  It 's  wrong,  ain't  it  ? "  he  asked  anxiously ;  "  it 
should  be  east  towards  the  next  tunnel." 

"  No  !     It  's  right  !    I  am  wrong  !     We  're  all  wrong  !  " 

Slinn  had  risen  to  his  feet,  erect  and  inspired.  "  Don't 
you  see,"  he  almost  screamed,  with  passionate  vehemence, 
"  it 's  Masters' s  abandoned  tunnel  your  shaft  has  struck  ? 
Not  mine  !  It  was  Masters's  pick  you  found  !  I  know  it 
now  ! " 

"  And  your  own  tunnel  ?  "  said  Mulrady,  springing  to 
his  feet  in  his  excitement.  "  And  your  strike  ?  " 

"  Is  still  there  !  " 

The  next  instant,  and  before  another  question  could  be 
asked,  Slinn  had  darted  from  the  room.  In  the  exaltation 
of  that  supreme  discovery  he  regained  the  full  control  of 
his  mind  and  body.  Mulrady  and  Don  Csesar,  no  less  ex- 
cited, followed  him  precipitately,  and  with  difficulty  kept  up 


A   MILLIONAIRE   OF  ROUGH-AND-READY  341 

with  his  feverish  speed.  Their  way  lay  along  the  base  of  the 
hill  below  Mulrady's  shaft,  and  on  a  line  with  Masters's 
abandoned  tunnel.  Only  once  he  stopped  to  snatch  a  pick 
from  the  hand  of  an  astonished  Chinaman  at  work  in  a 
ditch,  as  he  still  kept  on  his  way,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  be- 
yond the  shaft.  Here  he  stopped  before  a  jagged  hole  in 
the  hillside.  Bared  to  the  sky  and  air,  the  very  openness 
of  its  abandonment,  its  unpropitious  position,  and  distance 
from  the  strike  in  Mulrady's  shaft  had  no  doubt  preserved 
its  integrity  from  wayfarer  or  prospector. 

"  You  can't  go  in  there  alone,  and  without  a  light,"  said 
Mulrady,  laying  his  hand  on  the  arm  of  the  excited  man. 
"  Let  me  get  more  help  and  proper  tools." 

"I  know  every  step  in  the  dark  as  in  the  daylight," 
returned  Slinn,  struggling.  "Let  me  go,  while  I  have 
yet  strength  and  reason  !  Stand  aside  !  " 

He  broke  from  them,  and  the  next  moment  was  swal- 
lowed up  in  the  yawning  blackness.  They  waited  with 
bated  breath  until,  after  a  seeming  eternity  of  night  and 
silence,  they  heard  his  returning  footsteps,  and  ran  forward 
to  meet  him.  As  he  was  carrying  something  clasped  to  his 
breast,  they  supported  him  to  the  opening.  But  at  the 
same  moment  the  object  of  his  search,  and  his  burden,  a 
misshapen  wedge  of  gold  and  quartz,  dropped  with  him, 
and  both  fell  together  with  equal  immobility  to  the  ground. 
He  had  still  strength  to  turn  his  fading  eyes  to  the  other 
millionaire  of  Kough-and-Ready,  who  leaned  over  him. 

"  You  —  see,"  he  gasped  brokenly,  "  I  was  not  — 
crazy  !  " 

No.    He  was  dead ! 


A  DRIFT  FROM  REDWOOD  CAMP 

THEY  had  all  known  him  as  a  shiftless,  worthless  crea- 
ture. From  the  time  he  first  entered  Redwood  Camp,  car- 
rying his  entire  effects  in  a  red  handkerchief  on  the  end  of 
a  long-handled  shovel,  until  he  lazily  drifted  out  of  it  on  a 
plank  in  the  terrible  inundation  of  '56,  they  never  expected 
anything  better  of  him.  In  a  community  of  strong  men 
with  sullen  virtues  and  charmingly  fascinating  vices,  he  was 
tolerated  as  possessing  neither  —  not  even  rising  by  any 
dominant  human  weakness  or  ludicrous  quality  to  the  im- 
portance of  a  butt.  In  the  dramatis  personce  of  Redwood 
Camp  he  was  a  simple  "  super  "  —  who  had  only  passive, 
speechless  roles  in  those  fierce  dramas  that  were  sometimes 
unrolled  beneath  its  green-curtained  pines.  Nameless  and 
penniless,  he  was  overlooked  by  the  census  and  ignored  by 
the  tax-collector,  while  in  a  hotly  contested  election  for 
sheriff,  when  even  the  headboards  of  the  scant  cemetery 
were  consulted  to  fill  the  poll-lists,  it  was  discovered  that 
neither  candidate  had  thought  fit  to  avail  himself  of  his 
actual  vote.  He  was  debarred  the  rude  heraldry  of  a  nick- 
name of  achievement,  and  in  a  camp  made  up  of  "  Euchre 
Bills,'7  "  Poker  Dicks,"  "  Profane  Pete,"  and  «  Snap-shot 
Harry,"  was  known  vaguely  as  "  him,"  "  Skeesicks,"  or 
"  that  coot."  It  was  remembered  long  after,  with  a  feeling 
of  superstition,  that  he  had  never  even  met  with  the  dig- 
nity of  an  accident,  nor  received  the  fleeting  honor  of  a 
chance  shot  meant  for  somebody  else  in  any  of  the  liberal 
and  broadly  comprehensive  encounters  which  distinguished 
the  camp.  And  the  inundation  that  finally  carried  him 


A  DKIFT  FROM   REDWOOD   CAMP  343 

out  of  it  was  partly  anticipated  by  his  passive  incompe- 
tency ;  for  while  the  others  escaped  —  or  were  drowned  in 
escaping  —  he  calmly  floated  off  on  his  plank  without  an 
opposing  effort. 

For  all  that,  Elijah  Martin  —  which  was  his  real  name 
—  was  far  from  being  unamiable  or  repellent.  That  he 
was  cowardly,  untruthful,  selfish,  and  lazy,  was  undoubt- 
edly the  fact ;  perhaps  it  was  his  peculiar  misfortune  that, 
just  then,  courage,  frankness,  generosity,  and  activity  were 
the  dominant  factors  in  the  life  of  Redwood  Camp.  His 
submissive  gentleness,  his  unquestioned  modesty,  his  half 
refinement,  and  his  amiable  exterior  consequently  availed 
him  nothing  against  the  fact  that  he  was  missed  during  a 
raid  of  the  Digger  Indians,  and  lied  to  account  for  it ;  or 
that  he  lost  his  right  to  a  gold  discovery  by  failing  to 
make  it  good  against  a  bully,  and  selfishly  kept  this  dis- 
covery from  the  knowledge  of  the  camp.  Yet  this  weak- 
ness awakened  no  animosity  in  his  companions,  and  it  is 
probable  that  the  indifference  of  the  camp  to  his  fate  in 
this  final  catastrophe  came  purely  from  a  simple  forgetful- 
ness  of  one  who  at  that  supreme  moment  was  weakly  in- 
capable. 

Such  was  the  reputation  and  such  the  antecedents  of  the 
man  who,  on  the  15th  of  March,  1856,  found  himself 
adrift  in  a  swollen  tributary  of  the  Minyo.  A  spring 
freshet  of  unusual  volume  had  flooded  the  adjacent  river 
until,  bursting  its  bounds,  it  escaped  through  the  narrow, 
wedge-shaped  valley  that  held  Redwood  Camp.  For  a 
day  and  a  night  the  surcharged  river  poured  half  its  waters 
through  the  straggling  camp.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
every  vestige  of  the  little  settlement  was  swept  away ;  all 
that  was  left  was  scattered  far  and  wide  in  the  country, 
caught  in  the  hanging  branches  of  water-side  willows  and 
alders,  embayed  in  sluggish  pools,  dragged  over  submerged 
meadows,  and  one  fragment  —  bearing  up  Elijah  Martin  — 


344  A  DRIFT  FROM  REDWOOD  CAMP 

pursuing  the  devious  courses  of  an  unknown  tributary  fifty 
miles  away.  Had  he  been  a  rash,  impatient  man,  he  would 
have  been  speedily  drowned  in  some  earlier  desperate  at- 
tempt to  reach  the  shore  ;  had  he  been  an  ordinarily  bold 
man,  he  would  have  succeeded  in  transferring  himself  to 
the  branches  of  some  obstructing  tree  ;  but  he  was  neither, 
and  he  clung  to  his  broken  raft-like  berth  with  an  endur- 
ance that  was  half  the  paralysis  of  terror  and  half  the  pa- 
tience of  habitual  misfortune.  Eventually  he  was  caught 
in  a  side  current,  swept  to  the  bank,  and  cast  ashore  on  an 
unexplored  wilderness. 

His  first  consciousness  was  one  of  hunger  that  usurped 
any  sentiment  of  gratitude  for  his  escape  from  drowning. 
As  soon  as  his  cramped  limbs  permitted,  he  crawled  out  of 
the  bushes  in  search  of  food.  He  did  not  know  where  he 
was  ;  there  was  no  sign  of  habitation  —  or  even  occupation 
—  anywhere.  He  had  been  too  terrified  to  notice  the  direc- 
tion in  which  he  had  drifted  —  even  if  he  had  possessed  the 
ordinary  knowledge  of  a  backwoodsman,  which  he  did  not. 
He  was  helpless.  In  his  bewildered  state,  seeing  a  squirrel 
cracking  a  nut  on  the  branch  of  a  hollow  tree  near  him,  he 
made  a  half-frenzied  dart  at  the  frightened  animal,  which 
ran  away.  But  the  same  association  of  ideas  in  his  torpid 
and  confused  brain  impelled  him  to  search  for  the  squirrel's 
hoard  in  the  hollow  of  the  tree.  He  ate  the  few  hazel-nuts 
he  found  there  ravenously.  The  purely  animal  instinct 
satisfied,  he  seemed  to  have  borrowed  from  it  a  certain 
strength  and  intuition.  He  limped  through  the  thicket  not 
unlike  some  awkward,  shy  quadrumane,  stopping  here  and 
there  to  peer  out  through  the  openings  over  the  marshes 
that  lay  beyond.  His  sight,  hearing,  and  even  the  sense  of 
smell  had  become  preternaturally  acute.  It  was  the  latter 
which  suddenly  arrested  his  steps  with  the  odor  of  dried 
fish.  It  had  a  significance  beyond  the  mere  instincts  of 
hunger  —  it  indicated  the  contiguity  of  some  Indian  en- 


A  DRIFT  FROM  REDWOOD  CAMP  345 

campment.  And  as  such  —  it  meant  danger,  torture,  and 
death. 

He  stopped,  trembled  violently,  and  tried  to  collect  his 
scattered  senses.  Redwood  Camp  had  embroiled  itself  need- 
lessly and  brutally  with  the  surrounding  Indians,  and  only 
held  its  own  against  them  by  reckless  courage  and  unerring 
marksmanship.  The  frequent  use  of  a  casual  wandering 
Indian  as  a  target  for  the  practicing  rifles  of  its  members 
had  kept  up  an  undying  hatred  in  the  heart  of  the  abori- 
gines and  stimulated  them  to  terrible  and  isolated  reprisals. 
The  scalped  and  skinned  dead  body  of  Jack  Trainer,  tied 
on  his  horse  and  held  hideously  upright  by  a  cross  of  wood 
behind  his  saddle,  had  passed,  one  night,  a  slow  and  ghastly 
apparition,  into  camp  ;  the  corpse  of  Dick  Eyner  had  been 
found  anchored  on  the  river-bed,  disemboweled  and  filled 
with  stone  and  gravel.  The  solitary  and  unprotected  mem- 
ber of  Redwood  Camp  who  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands 
was  doomed. 

Elijah  Martin  remembered  this,  but  his  fears  gradually 
began  to  subside  in  a  certain  apathy  of  the  imagination, 
which  perhaps  dulled  his  apprehensions  and  allowed  the 
instinct  of  hunger  to  become  again  uppermost.  He  knew 
that  the  low  bark  tents,  or  wigwams,  of  the  Indians  were 
hung  with  strips  of  dried  salmon,  and  his  whole  being  was 
now  centred  upon  an  attempt  to  stealthily  procure  a  deli- 
cious morsel.  As  yet  he  had  distinguished  no  other  sign  of 
life  or  habitation ;  a  few  moments  later,  however,  and 
grown  bolder  with  an  animal-like  trustfulness  in  his  momen- 
tary security,  he  crept  out  of  the  thicket  and  found  himself 
near  a  long,  low  mound  or  burrow-like  structure  of  mud 
and  bark  on  the  river-bank.  A  single  narrow  opening,  not 
unlike  the  entrance  of  an  Esquimau  hut,  gave  upon  the 
river.  Martin  had  no  difficulty  in  recognizing  the  character 
of  the  building.  It  was  a  "  sweat-house,"  an  institution 
common  to  nearly  all  the  aboriginal  tribes  of  California. 


346  A  DRIFT  FROM  REDWOOD   CAMP 

Half  a  religious  temple,  it  was  also  half  a  sanitary  asylum, 
was  used  as  a  Russian  bath  or  superheated  vault,  from 
which  the  braves,  sweltering  and  stifling  all  night,  by 
smothered  fires,  at  early  dawn  plunged,  perspiring,  into  the 
ice-cold  river.  The  heat  and  smoke  were  further  utilized 
to  dry  and  cure  the  long  strips  of  fish  hanging  from  the 
roof,  and  it  was  through  the  narrow  aperture  that  served  as 
a  chimney  that  the  odor  escaped  which  Martin  had  detected. 
He  knew  that,  as  the  bathers  only  occupied  the  house  from 
midnight  to  early  morn,  it  was  now  probably  empty.  He 
advanced  confidently  toward  it. 

He  was  a  little  surprised  to  find  that  the  small  open  space 
between  it  and  the  river  was  occupied  by  a  rude  scaffolding, 
like  that  on  which  certain  tribes  exposed  their  dead,  but  in 
this  instance  it  only  contained  the  feathered  leggings,  fringed 
blanket,  and  eagle-plumed  head-dress  of  some  brave.  He 
did  not,  however,  linger  in  this  plainly  visible  area,  but 
quickly  dropped  on  all  fours  and  crept  into  the  interior  of 
the  house.  Here  he  completed  his  feast  with  the  fish,  and 
warmed  his  chilled  limbs  on  the  embers  of  the  still  smoul- 
dering fires.  It  was  while  drying  his  tattered  clothes  and 
shoeless  feet  that  he  thought  of  the  dead  brave's  useless 
leggings  and  moccasins,  and  it  occurred  to  him  that  he  would 
be  less  likely  to  attract  the  Indians'  attention  from  a  dis- 
tance and  provoke  a  ready  arrow,  if  he  were  disguised  as 
one  of  them.  Crawling  out  again,  he  quickly  secured,  not 
only  the  leggings,  but  the  blanket  and  head-dress,  and,  put- 
ting them  on,  cast  his  own  clothes  into  the  stream.  A 
bolder,  more  energetic,  or  more  provident  man  would  have 
followed  the  act  by  quickly  making  his  way  back  to  the 
thicket  to  reconnoitre,  taking  with  him  a  supply  of  fish  for 
future  needs.  But  Elijah  Martin  succumbed  again  to  the 
recklessness  of  inertia  ;  he  yielded  once  more  to  the  animal 
instinct  of  momentary  security.  He  returned  to  the  inte- 
rior of  the  hut,  curled  himself  again  on  the  ashes,  and, 


A  DRIFT  FROM  REDWOOD  CAMP  347 

weakly  resolving  to  sleep  until  moonrise,  and  as  weakly 
hesitating,  ended  by  falling  into  uneasy  but  helpless  stupor. 

When  he  awoke,  the  rising  sun,  almost  level  with  the  low 
entrance  to  the  sweat-house,  was  darting  its  direct  rays  into 
the  interior,  as  if  searching  it  with  fiery  spears.  He  had 
slept  ten  hours.  He  rose  tremblingly  to  his  knees.  Every- 
thing was  quiet  without ;  he  might  yet  escape.  He  crawled 
to  the  opening.  The  open  space  before  it  was  empty,  but 
the  scaffolding  was  gone.  The  clear,  keen  air  revived  him. 
As  he  sprang  out,  erect,  a  shout  that  nearly  stunned  him 
seemed  to  rise  from  the  earth  on  all  sides.  He  glanced 
around  him  in  a  helpless  agony  of  fear.  A  dozen  concentric 
circles  of  squatting  Indians,  whose  heads  were  visible  above 
the  reeds,  encompassed  the  banks  around  the  sunken  base  of 
the  sweat-house  with  successive  dusky  rings.  Every  avenue 
of  escape  seemed  closed.  Perhaps  for  that  reason  the  atti- 
tude of  his  surrounding  captors  was  passive  rather  than 
aggressive,  and  the  shrewd,  half-Hebraic  profiles  nearest  him 
expressed  only  stoical  waiting.  There  was  a  strange  simi- 
larity of  expression  in  his  own  immovable  apathy  of  despair. 
His  only  sense  of  averting  his  fate  was  a  confused  idea  of 
explaining  his  intrusion.  His  desperate  memory  yielded  a 
few  common  Indian  words.  He  pointed  automatically  to 
himself  and  the  stream.  His  white  lips  moved. 

"  I  come  —  from  —  the  river  !  " 

A  guttural  cry,  as  if  the  whole  assembly  were  clearing 
their  throats,  went  round  the  different  circles.  The  nearest 
rocked  themselves  to  and  fro  and  bent  their  feathered  heads 
toward  him.  A  hollow-cheeked,  decrepit  old  man  arose 
and  said  simply  :  — 

"  It  is  he  !     The  great  chief  has  come  !  " 

He  was  saved.  More  than  that,  he  was  recreated.  For 
by  signs  and  intimations  he  was  quickly  made  aware  that 
since  the  death  of  their  late  chief,  their  medicine-men  had 


348  A  DRIFT  FROM  REDWOOD  CAMP 

prophesied  that  his  perfect  successor  should  appear  miracu- 
lously before  them,  borne  noiselessly  on  the  river  from  the 
sea,  in  the  plumes  and  insignia  of  his  predecessor.  This 
mere  coincidence  of  appearance  and  costume  might  not  have 
been  convincing  to  the  braves  had  not  Elijah  Martin's  actual 
deficiencies  contributed  to  their  unquestioned  faith  in  him. 
Not  only  his  inert  possession  of  the  sweat-house  and  his 
apathetic  attitude  in  their  presence,  but  his  utter  and  com- 
plete unlikeness  to  the  white  frontiersmen  of  their  knowledge 
and  tradition  —  creatures  of  fire  and  sword  and  malevolent 
activity  —  as  well  as  his  manifest  dissimilarity  to  themselves, 
settled  their  conviction  of  his  supernatural  origin.  His 
gentle,  submissive  voice,  his  yielding  will,  his  lazy  helpless- 
ness, the  absence  of  strange  weapons  and  fierce  explosives  in 
his  possession,  his  unwonted  sobriety  —  all  proved  him  an 
exception  to  his  apparent  race  that  was  in  itself  miraculous. 
For  it  must  be  confessed  that,  in  spite  of  the  cherished 
theories  of  most  romances  and  all  statesmen  and  commanders, 
that  fear  is  the  great  civilizer  of  the  savage  barbarian,  and 
that  he  is  supposed  to  regard  the  prowess  of  the  white  man 
and  his  mysterious  death-dealing  weapons  as  evidence  of  his 
supernatural  origin  and  superior  creation,  the  facts  have 
generally  pointed  to  the  reverse.  Elijah  Martin  was  not 
long  in  discovering  that  when  the  Minyo  hunter,  with  his 
obsolete  bow,  dropped  dead  by  a  bullet  from  a  viewless  and 
apparently  noiseless  space,  it  was  not  considered  the  light- 
nings of  an  avenging  Deity,  but  was  traced  directly  to  the 
ambushed  rifle  of  Kansas  Joe,  swayed  by  a  viciousness  quite 
as  human  as  their  own ;  the  spectacle  of  Blizzard  Dick, 
verging  on  delirium  tremens,  and  riding  "  amuck  "  into  an 
Indian  village  with  a  revolver  in  each  hand,  did  not  impress 
them  as  a  supernatural  act,  nor  excite  their  respectful  awe 
as  much  as  the  less  harmful  frenzy  of  one  of  their  own 
medicine-men  ;  they  were  not  influenced  by  implacable  white 
gods,  who  relaxed  only  to  drive  hard  bargains  and  exchange 


A  DRIFT  FROM  REDWOOD   CAMP  349 

mildewed  flour  and  shoddy  blankets  for  their  fish  and  furs. 
I  am  afraid  they  regarded  these  raids  of  Christian  civiliza- 
tion as  they  looked  upon  grasshopper  plagues,  famines, 
inundations,  and  epidemics ;  while  an  utterly  impassive  God 
washed  his  hands  of  the  means  he  had  employed,  and  even 
encouraged  the  faithful  to  resist  and  overcome^ his  emissaries 
—  the  white  devils  !  Had  Elijah  Martin  been  a  student  of 
theology,  he  would  have  been  struck  with  the  singular 
resemblance  of  these  theories  —  although  the  application 
thereof  was  reversed  —  to  the  Christian  faith.  But  Elijah 
Martin  had  neither  the  imagination  of  a  theologian  nor  the 
insight  of  a  politician.  He  only  saw  that  he,  hitherto 
ignored  and  despised  in  a  community  of  half-barbaric  men, 
now  translated  to  a  community  of  men  wholly  savage,  was 
respected  and  worshiped ! 

It  might  have  turned  a  stronger  head  than  Elijah's.  He 
was  at  first  frightened,  fearful  lest  his  reception  concealed 
some  hidden  irony,  or  that,  like  the  flower-crowned  victim 
of  ancient  sacrifice,  he  was  exalted  and  sustained  to  give 
importance  and  majesty  to  some  impending  martyrdom. 
Then  he  began  to  dread  that  his  innocent  deceit  —  if  deceit 
it  was  —  should  be  discovered ;  at  last,  partly  from  meek- 
ness and  partly  from  the  animal  contentment  of  present 
security,  he  accepted  the  situation.  Fortunately  for  him 
it  was  purely  passive.  The  Great  Chief  of  the  Minyo 
tribe  was  simply  an  expressionless  idol  of  flesh  and  blood. 
The  previous  incumbent  of  that  office  had  been  an  old 
man,  impotent  and  senseless  of  late  years  through  age  and 
disease.  The  chieftains  and  braves  had  consulted  in  coun- 
cil before  him,  and  perfunctorily  submitted  their  decisions, 
like  offerings,  to  his  unresponsive  shrine.  In  the  same 
way,  all  material  events  —  expeditions,  trophies,  indus- 
tries—  were  supposed  to  pass  before  the  dull,  impassive 
eyes  of  the  great  chief,  for  direct  acceptance.  On  the 
second  day  of  Elijah's  accession,  two  of  the  braves  brought 


350  A  DEIFT  FEOM  KEDWOOD   CAMP 

a  bleeding  human  scalp  before  him.  Elijah  turned  pale, 
trembled,  and  averted  his  head,  and  then,  remembering  the 
danger  of  giving  way  to  his  weakness,  grew  still  more 
ghastly.  The  warriors  watched  him  with  impassioned 
faces.  A  grunt  —  but  whether  of  astonishment,  dissent, 
or  approval,  he  could  not  tell  —  went  round  the  circle. 
But  the  scalp  was  taken  away  and  never  again  appeared  in 
his  presence. 

An  incident  still  more  alarming  quickly  followed.  Two 
captives,  white  men,  securely  bound,  were  one  day  brought 
before  him  on  their  way  to  the  stake,  followed  by  a  crowd 
of  old  and  young  squaws  and  children.  The  unhappy 
Elijah  recognized  in  the  prisoners  two  packers  from  a  dis- 
tant settlement  who  sometimes  passed  through  Redwood 
Camp.  An  agony  of  terror,  shame,  and  remorse  shook  the 
pseudo-chief  to  his  crest  of  high  feathers,  and  blanched  his 
face  beneath  its  paint  and  yellow  ochre.  To  interfere  to 
save  them  from  the  torture  they  were  evidently  to  receive 
at  the  hands  of  those  squaws  and  children,  according  to 
custom,  would  be  exposure  and  death  to  him  as  well  as 
themselves;  while  to  assist  by  his  passive  presence  at  the 
horrible  sacrifice  of  his  countrymen  was  too  much  for  even 
his  weak  selfishness.  Scarcely  knowing  what  he  did  as 
the  lugubrious  procession  passed  before  him,  he  hurriedly 
hid  his  face  in  his  blanket  and  turned  his  back  upon  the 
scene.  There  was  a  dead  silence.  The  warriors  were 
evidently  unprepared  for  this  extraordinary  conduct  of 
their  chief.  What  might  have  been  their  action  it  was 
impossible  to  conjecture,  for  at  that  moment  a  little  squaw, 
perhaps  impatient  for  the  sport  and  partly  emboldened  by 
the  fact  that  she  had  been  selected,  only  a  few  days  before, 
as  the  betrothed  of  the  new  chief,  approached  him  slyly 
from  the  other  side.  The  horrified  eyes  of  Elijah,  momen- 
tarily raised  from  his  blanket,  saw  and  recognized  her. 
The  feebleness  of  a  weak  nature,  that  dared  not  measure 


A  DRIFT  FROM  REDWOOD  CAMP        351 

itself  directly  with  the  real  cause,  vented  its  rage  on  a 
secondary  object.  He  darted  a  quick  glance  of  indignation 
and  hatred  at  the  young  girl.  She  ran  back  in  startled 
terror  to  her  companions,  a  hurried  consultation  followed, 
and  in  another  moment  the  whole  bevy  of  girls,  old  women, 
and  children  were  on  the  wing,  shrieking  and  crying,  to 
their  wigwams. 

"  You  see,"  said  one  of  the  prisoners  coolly  to  the  other, 
in  English,  "  I  was  right.  They  never  intended  to  do  any- 
thing to  us.  It  was  only  a  bluff.  These  Minyos  are  a  dif- 
ferent sort  from  the  other  tribes.  They  never  kill  anybody 
if  they  can  help  it." 

"  You  're  wrong,"  said  the  other  excitedly.  "  It  was 
that  big  chief  there,  with  his  head  in  a  blanket,  that  sent 
those  dogs  to  the  right-about.  Hell  !  did  you  see  them  run 
at  just  a  look  from  him  ?  He  's  a  big  and  mighty  feller, 
you  bet.  Look  at  his  dignity  !  " 

"  That 's  so  —  he  ain't  no  slouch/'  said  the  other,  gazing 
at  Elijah's  muffled  head  critically.  "  D — d  if  he  ain't  a 
born  king." 

The  sudden  conflict  and  utter  revulsion  of  emotion  that 
those  simple  words  caused  in  Elijah's  breast  was  almost 
incredible.  He  had  been  at  first  astounded  by  the  revela- 
tion of  the  peaceful  reputation  of  the  unknown  tribe  he 
had  been  called  upon  to  govern  ;  but  even  this  comforting 
assurance  was  as  nothing  compared  to  the  greater  revela- 
tions implied  in  the  speaker's  praise  of  himself.  He, 
Elijah  Martin !  the  despised,  the  rejected,  the  worthless  out- 
cast of  Redwood  Camp,  recognized  as  a  "  born  king,"  a 
leader  ;  his  power  felt  by  the  very  men  who  had  scorned 
him  !  And  he  had  done  nothing  —  stop  !  had  he  actually 
done  nothing?  Was  it  not  possible  that  he  was  really 
what  they  thought  him  ?  His  brain  reeled  under  the 
strong,  unaccustomed  wine  of  praise  ;  acting  upon  his  weak 
selfishness,  it  exalted  him  for  a  moment  to  their  measure  of 


352  A  DRIFT  FROM  REDWOOD   CAMP 

his  strength,  even  as  their  former  belief  in  his  inefficiency 
had  kept  him  down.  Courage  is  too  often  only  the  memory 
of  past  success.  This  was  his  first  effort ;  he  forgot  he  had 
not  earned  it,  even  as  he  now  ignored  the  danger  of  earning 
it.  The  few  words  of  unconscious  praise  had  fallen  like 
the  blade  of  knighthood  on  his  cowering  shoulders ;  he  had 
risen  ennobled  from  the  contact.  Though  his  face  was  still 
muffled  in  his  blanket,  he  stood  erect  and  seemed  to  have 
gained  in  stature. 

The  braves  had  remained  standing  irresolute,  and  yet 
watchful,  a  few  paces  from  their  captives.  Suddenly  Elijah, 
still  keeping  his  back  to  the  prisoners,  turned  upon  the 
braves,  with  blazing  eyes,  violently  throwing  out  his  hands 
with  the  gesture  of  breaking  bonds.  Like  all  sudden  de- 
monstrations of  undemonstrative  men,  it  was  extravagant, 
weird,  and  theatrical.  But  it  was  more  potent  than  speech 
—  the  speech  that,  even  if  effective,  would  still  have 
betrayed  him  to  his  countrymen.  The  braves  hurriedly  cut 
the  thongs  of  the  prisoners ;  another  impulsive  gesture  from 
Elijah,  and  they,  too,  fled.  When  he  lifted  his  eyes  cau- 
tiously from  his  blanket,  captors  and  captives  had  dis- 
persed in  opposite  directions,  and  he  was  alone  —  and 
triumphant ! 

From  that  moment  Elijah  Martin  was  another  man.  He 
went  to  bed  that  night  in  an  intoxicating  dream  of  power  ; 
he  arose  a  man  of  will,  of  strength.  He  read  it  in  the  eyes 
of  the  braves,  albeit  at  times  averted  in  wonder.  He  under- 
stood, now,  that  although  peace  had  been  their  habit  and 
custom,  they  had  nevertheless  sought  to  test  his  theories  of 
administration  with  the  offering  of  the  scalps  and  the  cap- 
tives, and  in  this  detection  of  their  common  weakness  he 
forgot  his  own.  Most  heroes  require  the  contrast  of  the 
unheroic  to  set  them  off;  and  Elijah  actually  found  himself 
devising  means  for  strengthening  the  defensive  and  offensive 
character  of  the  tribe,  and  was  himself  strengthened  by  it. 


A   DRIFT  FROM   REDWOOD   CAMP  353 

Meanwhile  the  escaped  packers  did  not  fail  to  heighten  the 
importance  of  their  adventure  by  elevating  the  character 
and  achievements  of  their  deliverer  ;  and  it  was  presently 
announced  throughout  the  frontier  settlements  that  the  hith- 
erto insignificant  and  peaceful  tribe  of  Minyos,  who  inhab- 
ited a  large  territory  bordering  on  the  Pacific  Ocean,  had 
developed  into  a  powerful  nation,  only  kept  from  the  war- 
path by  a  more  powerful  but  mysterious  chief.  The  Gov- 
ernment sent  an  Indian  agent  to  treat  with  them,  in  its 
usual  half-paternal,  half-aggressive,  and  wholly  inconsistent 
policy.  Elijah,  who  still  retained  the  imitative  sense  and 
adaptability  to  surroundings  which  belong  to  most  lazy, 
impressible  natures,  and  in  striped  yellow  and  vermilion 
features  looked  the  chief  he  personated,  met  the  agent  with 
silent  and  becoming  gravity.  The  council  was  carried  on 
by  signs.  Never  before  had  an  Indian  treaty  been  entered 
into  with  such  perfect  knowledge-  of  the  intentions  and 
designs  of  the  whites  by  the  Indians,  and  such  profound 
ignorance  of  the  qualities  of  the  Indians  by  the  whites.  It 
need  scarcely  be  said  that  the  treaty  was  an  unquestionable 
Indian  success.  They  did  not  give  up  their  arable  lands ; 
what  they  did  sell  to  the  agent  they  refused  to  exchange 
for  extravagant-priced  shoddy  blankets,  worthless  guns, 
damp  powder,  and  mouldy  meal.  They  took  pay  in  dol- 
lars, and  were  thus  enabled  to  open  more  profitable  com- 
merce with  the  traders  at  the  settlements  for  better  goods 
and  better  bargains  ;  they  simply  declined  beads,  whiskey, 
and  Bibles  at  any  price.  The  result  was  that  the  traders 
found  it  profitable  to  protect  them  from  their  countrymen, 
and  the  chances  of  wantonly  shooting  down  a  possible  valu- 
able customer  stopped  the  old  indiscriminate  rifle-practice. 
The  Indians  were  allowed  to  cultivate  their  fields  in  peace. 
Elijah  purchased  for  them  a  few  agricultural  implements. 
The  catching,  curing,  and  smoking  of  salmon  became  an 
important  branch  of  trade.  They  waxed  prosperous  and 


354        A  DRIFT  FROM  REDWOOD  CAMP 

rich  ;  they  lost  their  nomadic  habits  —  a  centralized  settle- 
ment bearing  the  external  signs  of  an  Indian  village  took 
the  place  of  their  old  temporary  encampments,  but  the  huts 
were  internally  an  improvement  on  the  old  wigwams.  The 
dried  fish  were  banished  from  the  tent-poles  to  long  sheds 
especially  constructed  for  that  purpose.  The  sweat-house 
was  no  longer  utilized  for  worldly  purposes.  The  wise  and 
mighty  Elijah  did  not  attempt  to  reform  their  religion,  but 
to  preserve  it  in  its  integrity. 

That  these  improvements  and  changes  were  due  to  the 
influence  of  one  man  was  undoubtedly  true,  but  that  he 
was  necessarily  a  superior  man  did  not  follow.  Elijah's 
success  was  due  partly  to  the  fact  that  he  had  been  enabled 
to  impress  certain  negative  virtues,  which  were  part  of  his 
own  nature,  upon  a  community  equally  constituted  to  re- 
ceive them.  Each  was  strengthened  by  the  recognition  in 
each  other  of  the  unexpected  value  of  those  qualities ;  each 
acquired  a  confidence  begotten  of  their  success.  "  He-hides- 
his-face,"  as  Elijah  Martin  was  known  to  the  tribe  after 
the  episode  of  the  released  captives,  was  really  not  so  much 
of  an  autocrat  as  many  constitutional  rulers. 

Two  years  of  tranquil  prosperity  passed.  Elijah  Martin, 
foundling,  outcast,  without  civilized  ties  or  relationship  of 
any  kind,  forgotten  by  his  countrymen,  and  lifted  into  alien 
power,  wealth,  security,  and  respect,  became  —  homesick  ! 

It  was  near  the  close  of  a  summer  afternoon.  He  was 
sitting  at  the  door  of  his  lodge,  which  overlooked,  on  one 
side,  the  far-shining  levels  of  the  Pacific,  and,  on  the  other, 
the  slow  descent  to  the  cultivated  meadows  and  banks  of 
the  Minyo  River,  that  debouched  through  a  waste  of  salt- 
\narsh,  beach-grass,  sand-dunes,  and  foamy  estuary  into  the 
ocean.  The  headland,  or  promontory  —  the  only  eminence 
of  the  Minyo  territory  —  had  been  reserved  by  him  for  his 
lodge,  partly  on  account  of  its  isolation  from  the  village  at 


A  DRIFT  FROM  REDWOOD  CAMP  355 

its  base,  and  partly  for  the  view  it  commanded  of  his  ter- 
ritory. Yet  his  wearying  and  discontented  eyes  were  more 
often  found  on  the  ocean,  as  a  possible  highway  of  escape 
from  his  irksome  position,  than  on  the  plain  and  the  distant 
range  of  mountains,  so  closely  connected  with  the  nearer 
past  and  his  former  detractors.  In  his  vague  longing  he 
had  no  desire  to  return  to  them,  even  in  triumph  ;  in  his 
present  security  there  still  lingered  a  doubt  of  his  ability  to 
cope  with  the  old  conditions.  It  was  more  like  his  easy, 
indolent  nature  —  which  revived  in  his  prosperity  —  to  trust 
to  this  least  practical  and  remote  solution  of  his  trouble. 
His  homesickness  was  as  vague  as  his  plan  for  escape  from 
it ;  he  did  not  know  exactly  what  he  regretted,  but  it  was 
probably  some  life  he  had  not  enjoyed,  some  pleasure  that 
had  escaped  his  former  incompetency  and  poverty. 

He  had  sat  thus  a  hundred  times,  as  aimlessly  blinking 
at  the  vast  possibilities  of  the  shining  sea  beyond,  turning 
his  back  upon  the  nearer  and  more  practicable  mountains, 
lulled  by  the  far-off  beating  of  monotonous  rollers,  the 
lonely  cry  of  the  curlew  and  plover,  the  drowsy  changes 
of  alternate  breaths  of  cool,  fragrant  reeds  and  warm,  spicy 
sands  that  blew  across  his  eyelids,  and  succumbed  to  sleep, 
as  he  had  done  a  hundred  times  before.  The  narrow  strips 
of  colored  cloth,  insignia  of  his  dignity,  flapped  lazily  from 
his  tent-poles,  and  at  last  seemed  to  slumber  with  him ;  the 
shadows  of  the  leaf-tracery  thrown  by  the  bay-tree,  on  the 
ground  at  his  feet,  scarcely  changed  its  pattern.  Nothing 
moved  but  the  round,  restless,  berry-like  eyes  of  Wachita, 
his  child- wife,  the  former  heroine  of  the  incident  with  the 
captive  packers,  who  sat  near  her  lord,  armed  with  a  willow 
wand,  watchful  of  intruding  wasps,  sand-flies,  and  even  the 
more  ostentatious  advances  of  a  rotund  and  clerical-looking 
humble-bee,  with  his  monotonous  homily.  Content,  dumb, 
submissive,  vacant,  at  such  times,  Wachita,  debarred  her 
husband's  confidences  through  the  native  customs  and  his 


356  A  DRIFT  FROM  REDWOOD  CAMP 

own  indifferent  taciturnity,  satisfied  herself  by  gazing  at 
him  with  the  wondering  but  ineffectual  sympathy  of  a  faith- 
ful dog.  Unfortunately  for  Elijah,  her  purely  mechanical 
ministration  could  not  prevent  a  more  dangerous  intrusion 
upon  his  security. 

He  awoke  with  a  light  start,  and  eyes  that  gradually 
fixed  upon  the  woman  a  look  of  returning  consciousness. 
Wachita  pointed  timidly  to  the  village  below. 

"  The  Messenger  of  the  Great  White  Father  has  come 
to-day,  with  his  wagons  and  horses ;  he  would  see  the  chief 
of  the  Minyos,  but  I  would  not  disturb  my  lord." 

Elijah's  brow  contracted.  Relieved  of  its  characteristic 
metaphor,  he  knew  that  this  meant  that  the  new  Indian 
agent  had  made  his  usual  official  visit,  and  had  exhibited 
the  usual  anxiety  to  see  the  famous  chieftain. 

"  Good  !  "  he  said.  "  White  Rabbit  [his  lieutenant] 
will  see  the  Messenger  and  exchange  gifts.  It  is  enough." 

"  The  white  messenger  has  brought  his  wangee  [white] 
woman  with  him.  They  would  look  upon  the  face  of  him 
who  hides  it,"  continued  Wachita  dubiously.  "  They 
would  that  Wachita  should  bring  them  nearer  to  where  my 
lord  is,  that  they  might  see  him  when  he  knew  it  not." 

Elijah  glanced  moodily  at  his  wife,  with  the  half  sus- 
picion with  which  he  still  regarded  her  alien  character. 
"  Then  let  Wachita  go  back  to  the  squaws  and  old  women, 
and  let  her  hide  herself ,  with  them  until  the  wangee  stran- 
gers are  gone,"  he  said  curtly.  "  I  have  spoken.  Go !  " 

Accustomed  to  these  abrupt  dismissals,  which  did  not 
necessarily  indicate  displeasure,  Wachita  disappeared  with- 
out a  word.  Elijah,  who  had  risen,  remained  for  a  few 
moments  leaning  against  the  tent-poles,  gazing  abstractedly 
toward  the  sea.  The  bees  droned  uninterruptedly  in  his 
ears,  the  far-off  roll  of  the  breakers  came  to  him  distinctly  ; 
but  suddenly,  with  greater  distinctness,  came  the  murmur 


A   DRIFT  FROM  REDWOOD   CAMP  357 

"  He  don't  look  savage  a  bit !  Why,  he 's  real  hand- 
some." 

"Hush!  you" — said  a  second  voice  in  a  frightened 
whisper. 

"  But  if  he  did  hear  he  could  n't  understand,"  returned 
the  first  voice.  A  suppressed  giggle  followed. 

Luckily,  Elijah's  natural  and  acquired  habits  of  repres- 
sion suited  the  emergency.  He  did  not  move,  although  he 
felt  the  quick  blood  fly  to  his  face,  and  the  voice  of  the 
first  speaker  had  suffused  him  with  a  strange  and  delicious 
anticipation.  He  restrained  himself,  though  the  words  she 
had  naively  dropped  were  filling  him  with  new  and  tremu- 
lous suggestion.  He  was  motionless,  even  while  he  felt 
that  the  vague  longing  and  yearning  which  had  possessed 
him  hitherto  was  now  mysteriously  taking  some  unknown 
form  and  action. 

The  murmuring  ceased.  The  humble-bee's  drone  again 
became  ascendant  —  a  sudden  fear  seized  him.  She  was 
going ;  he  should  never  see  her  !  While  he  had  stood 
there  a  dolt  and  sluggard,  she  had  satisfied  her  curiosity 
and  stolen  away.  With  a  sudden  yielding  to  impulse,  he 
darted  quickly  in  the  direction  where  he  had  heard  her 
voice.  The  thicket  moved,  parted,  crackled,  and  rustled, 
and  then  undulated  thirty  feet  before  him  in  a  long  wave,  as 
if  from  the  passage  of  some  lithe,  invisible  figure.  But  at 
the  same  moment  a  little  cry,  half  of  alarm,  half  of  laughter, 
broke  from  his  very  feet,  and  a  bent  manzanita  bush,  re- 
laxed by  frightened  fingers,  flew  back  against  his  breast. 
Thrusting  it  hurriedly  aside,  his  stooping,  eager  face  came 
almost  in  contact  with  the  pink,  flushed  cheeks  and  tangled 
curls  of  a  woman's  head.  He  was  so  near,  her  moist  and 
laughing  eyes  almost  drowned  his  eager  glance ;  her  parted 
lips  and  white  teeth  were  so  close  to  his  that  her  quick 
breath  took  away  his  own. 

She  had  dropped  on  one  knee,  as  her  companion  fled,  ex- 


358  A  DRIFT  FROM  REDWOOD   CAMP 

pecting  he  would  overlook  her  as  he  passed,  but  his  direct 
onset  had  extracted  the  feminine  outcry.  Yet  even  then 
she  did  not  seem  greatly  frightened. 

"  It 's  only  a  joke,  sir/'  she  said,  coolly  lifting  herself  to 
her  feet  by  grasping  his  arm.  "  1 'm  Mrs.  Dall,  the  Indian 
agent's  wife.  They  said  you  would  n't  let  anybody  see  you 
—  and  /  determined  I  would.  That 's  all !  "  She  stopped, 
threw  back  her  tangled  curls  behind  her  ears,  shook  the 
briers  and  thorns  from  her  skirt,  and  added  :  "  Well,  I 
reckon  you  are  n't  afraid  of  a  woman,  are  you  ?  So  no 
harm  's  done.  Good-by  !  " 

She  drew  slightly  back  as  if  to  retreat,  but  the  elasticity 
of  the  manzanita  against  which  she  was  leaning  threw  her 
forward  once  more.  He  again  inhaled  the  perfume  of  her 
hair ;  he  saw  even  the  tiny  freckles  that  darkened  her  upper 
lip  and  brought  out  the  moist,  red  curve  below.  A  sudden 
recollection  of  a  playmate  of  his  vagabond  childhood  flashed 
across  his  mind ;  a  wild  inspiration  of  lawlessness,  begotten 
of  his  past  experience,  his  solitude,  his  dictatorial  power, 
and  the  beauty  of  the  woman  before  him,  mounted  to  his 
brain.  He  threw  his  arms  passionately  around  her,  pressed 
his  lips  to  hers,  and  with  a  half-hysterical  laugh  drew  back 
and  disappeared  in  the  thicket. 

Mrs.  Dall  remained  for  an  instant  dazed  and  stupefied. 
Then  she  lifted  her  arm  mechanically,  and  with  her  sleeve 
wiped  her  bruised  mouth  and  the  ochre-stain  that  his  paint 
had  left,  like  blood,  upon  her  cheek.  Her  laughing  face 
had  become  instantly  grave,  but  not  from  fear ;  tier  dark 
eyes  had  clouded,  but  not  entirely  with  indignation.  She 
suddenly  brought  down  her  hand  sharply  against  her  side 
with  a  gesture  of  discovery. 

"  That 's  no  Injun  !  "  she  said,  with  prompt  decision. 
The  next  minute  she  plunged  back  into  the  trail  again, 
and  the  dense  foliage  once  more  closed  around  her.  But 
as  she  did  so  the  broad,  vacant  face  and  the  mutely  wonder- 


A  DRIFT  FROM  REDWOOD   CAMP  359 

ing  eyes  of  Wachita  rose,  like  a  placid  moon,  between  the 
branches  of  a  tree  where  they  had  been  hidden,  and  shone 
serenely  and  impassively  after  her. 

A  month  elapsed.  But  it  was  a  month  filled  with  more 
experience  to  Elijah  than  his  past  two  years  of  exaltation. 
In  the  first  few  days  following  his  meeting  with  Mrs.  Dall, 
he  was  possessed  by  terror,  mingled  with  flashes  of  despera- 
tion, at  the  remembrance  of  his  rash  imprudence.  His  re- 
collection of  extravagant  frontier  chivalry  to  womankind, 
and  the  swift  retribution  of  the  insulted  husband  or  guard- 
ian, alternately  filled  him  with  abject  fear  or  extravagant 
recklessness.  At  times  prepared  for  flight,  even  to  the 
desperate  abandonment  of  himself  in  a  canoe  to  the  waters 
of  the  Pacific,  at  times  he  was  on  the  point  of  inciting  his 
braves  to  attack  the  Indian  agency  and  precipitate  the  war 
that  he  felt  would  be  inevitable.  As  the  days  passed,  and 
there  seemed  to  be  no  interruption  to  his  friendly  relations 
with  the  agency,  with  that  relief  a  new,  subtle  joy  crept 
into  Elijah's  heart.  The  image  of  the  agent's  wife  framed 
in  the  leafy  screen  behind  his  lodge,  the  perfume  of  her 
hair  and  breath  mingled  with  the  spicing  of  the  bay,  the 
brief  thrill  and  tantalization  of  the  stolen  kiss  still  haunted 
him.  Through  his  long,  shy  abstention  from  society,  and 
his  two  years  of  solitary  exile,  the  fresh  beauty  of  this 
young  Western  wife,  in  whom  the  frank  artlessness  of  girl- 
hood still  lingered,  appeared  to  him  like  a  superior  creation. 
He  forgot  his  vague  longings  in  the  inception  of  a  more 
tangible  but  equally  unpractical  passion.  He  remembered 
her  unconscious  and  spontaneous  admiration  of  him ;  he 
dared  to  connect  it  with  her  forgiving  silence.  If  she  had 
withheld  her  confidences  from  her  husband,  he  could  hope 
—  he  knew  not  exactly  what ! 

One  afternoon  Wachita  put  into  his  hand  a  folded  note. 
With  an  instinctive  presentiment  of  its  contents,  Elijah 


360  A  DRIFT  FROM   REDWOOD  CAMP 

turned  red  and  embarrassed  in  receiving  it  from  the  woman 
who  was  recognized  as  his  wife.  But  the  impassive,  sub- 
missive manner  of  this  household  drudge,  instead  of  touch- 
ing his  conscience,  seemed  to  him  a  vulgar  and  brutal  accept- 
ance of  the  situation  that  dulled  whatever  compunction  he 
might  have  had.  He  opened  the  note  and  read  hurriedly 
as  follows :  — 

"  You  took  a  great  freedom  with  me  the  other  day,  and 
I  am  justified  in  taking  one  with  you  now.  I  believe  you 
understand  English  as  well  as  I  do.  If  you  want  to  explain 
that,  and  your  conduct  to  me,  I  will  be  at  the  same  place 
this  afternoon.  My  friend  will  accompany  me,  but  she  need 
not  hear  what  you  have  to  say." 

Elijah  read  the  letter,  which  might  have  been  written 
by  an  ordinary  schoolgirl,  as  if  it  had  conveyed  the  veiled 
rendezvous  of  a  princess.  The  reserve,  caution,  and  shy- 
ness which  had  been  the  safeguard  of  his  weak  nature  were 
swamped  in  a  flow  of  immature  passion.  He  flew  to  the 
interview  with  the  eagerness  and  inexperience  of  first  love. 
He  was  completely  at  her  mercy.  So  utterly  was  he  sub- 
jugated by  her  presence  that  she  did  not  even  run  the  risk 
of  his  passion.  Whatever  sentiment  might  have  mingled 
with  her  curiosity,  she  was  never  conscious  of  a  necessity 
to  guard  herself  against  it.  At  this  second  meeting  she 
was  in  full  possession  of  his  secret.  He  had  told  her 
everything ;  she  had  promised  nothing  in  return  —  she 
had  not  even  accepted  anything.  Even  her  actual  after- 
relations  to  the  denouement  of  his  passion  are  still  shrouded 
in  mystery. 

Nevertheless,  Elijah  lived  two  weeks  on  the  unsubstan- 
tial memory  of  this  meeting.  What  might  have  followed 
could  not  be  known,  for  at  the  end  of  that  time  an  out- 
rage —  so  atrocious  that  even  the  peaceful  Minyos  were 
thrilled  with  savage  indignation  —  was  committed  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  village.  An  old  chief,  who  had  been  spe- 


A  DRIFT  FROM  REDWOOD   CAMP  361 

cially  selected  to  deal  with  the  Indian  agent,  and  who  kept 
a  small  trading  outpost,  had  been  killed  and  his  goods  de- 
spoiled by  a  reckless  Redwood  packer.  The  murderer  had 
coolly  said  that  he  was  only  "  serving  out "  the  tool  of  a 
fraudulent  imposture  on  the  Government,  and  that  he 
dared  the  arch-impostor  himself,  the  so-called  Minyo  chief, 
to  help  himself.  A  wave  of  ungovernable  fury  surged  up 
to  the  very  tent-poles  of  Elijah's  lodge  and  demanded 
vengeance.  Elijah  trembled  and  hesitated.  In  the  thrall- 
dom  of  his  selfish  passion  for  Mrs.  Dall  he  dared  not  con- 
template a  collision  with  her  countrymen.  He  would  have 
again  sought  refuge  in  his  passive,  non-committal  attitude, 
but  he  knew  the  impersonal  character  of  Indian  retribution 
and  compensation,  —  a  sacrifice  of  equal  value,  without 
reference  to  the  culpability  of  the  victim,  —  and  he  dreaded 
some  spontaneous  outbreak.  To  prevent  the  enforced  ex- 
piation of  the  crime  by  some  innocent  brother  packer,  he 
was  obliged  to  give  orders  for  the  pursuit  and  arrest  of  the 
criminal,  secretly  hoping  for  his  escape  or  the  interposition 
of  some  circumstance  to  avert  his  punishment.  A  day  of 
sullen  expectancy  to  the  old  men  and  squaws  in  camp,  of 
gloomy  anxiety  to  Elijah  alone  in  his  lodge,  followed  the 
departure  of  the  braves  on  the  war-path.  It  was  midnight 
when  they  returned.  Elijah,  who,  from  his  habitual  re- 
serve and  the  accepted  etiquette  of  his  exalted  station,  had 
remained  impassive  in  his  tent,  only  knew  from  the  gut- 
tural rejoicings  of  the  squaws  that  the  expedition  had  been 
successful  and  the  captive  was  in  their  hands.  At  any 
other  time  he  might  have  thought  it  an  evidence  of  some 
growing  skepticism  of  his  infallibility  of  judgment  and  a 
diminution  of  respect  that  they  did  not  confront  him  with 
their  prisoner.  But  he  was  too  glad  to  escape  from  the 
danger  of  exposure  and  possible  arraignment  of  his  past 
life  by  the  desperate  captive,  even  though  it  might  not 
have  been  understood  by  the  spectators.  He  reflected  that 


362  A  DRIFT  FROM  REDWOOD  CAMP 

the  omission  might  have  arisen  from  their  recollection  of 
his  previous  aversion  to  a  retaliation  on  other  prisoners. 
Enough  that  they  would  wait  his  signal  for  the  torture  and 
execution  at  sunrise  the  next  day. 

The  night  passed  slowly.  It  is  more  than  probable  that 
the  selfish  and  ignoble  torments  of  the  sleepless  and  vacil- 
lating judge  were  greater  than  those  of  the  prisoner,  who 
dozed  at  the  stake  between  his  curses.  Yet  it  was  part  of 
Elijah's  fatal  weakness  that  his  kinder  and  more  human 
instincts  were  dominated  even  at  that  moment  by  his  law- 
less passion  for  the  Indian  agent's  wife,  and  his  indecision 
as  to  the  fate  of  his  captive  was  as  much  due  to  this  pre- 
occupation as  to  a  selfish  consideration  of  her  relations  to 
the  result.  He  hated  the  prisoner  for  his  infelicitous  and 
untimely  crime,  yet  he  could  not  make  up  his  mind  to  his 
death.  He  paced  the  ground  before  his  lodge  in  dishonor- 
able incertitude.  The  small  eyes  of  the  submissive  Wa- 
chita  watched  him  with  vague  solicitude. 

Toward  morning  he  was  struck  by  a  shameful  inspira- 
tion. He  would  creep  unperceived  to  the  victim's  side, 
unloose  his  bonds,  and  bid  him  fly  to  the  Indian  agency. 
There  he  was  to  inform  Mrs.  Dall  that  her  husband's  safety 
depended  upon  his  absenting  himself  for  a  few  days,  but 
that  she  was  to  remain  and  communicate  with  Elijah.  She 
would  understand  everything,  perhaps  ;  at  least  she  would 
know  that  the  prisoner's  release  was  to  please  her,  but  even 
if  she  did  not,  no  harm  would  be  done,  a  white  man's  life 
would  be  saved,  and  his  real  motive  would  not  be  sus- 
pected. He  turned  with  feverish  eagerness  to  the  lodge. 
Wachita  had  disappeared  —  probably  to  join  the  other  wo- 
men. It  was  well ;  she  would  not  suspect  him. 

The  tree  to  which  the  doomed  man  was  bound  was,  by 
custom,  selected  nearest  the  chief's  lodge,  within  its  sacred 
inclosure,  with  no  other  protection  than  that  offered  by  its 
reserved  seclusion  and  the  outer  semicircle  of  warriors' 


A  DRIFT  FROM   REDWOOD   CAMP  363 

tents  before  it.  To  escape,  the  captive  would  therefore 
have  to  pass  beside  the  chief's  lodge  to  the  rear  and  descend 
the  hill  toward  the  shore.  Elijah  would  show  him  the  way, 
and  make  it  appear  as  if  he  had  escaped  unaided.  As  he 
glided  into  the  shadow  of  a  group  of  pines,  he  could  dimly 
discern  the  outline  of  the  destined  victim,  secured  against 
one  of  the  larger  trees  in  a  sitting  posture,  with  his  head 
fallen  forward  on  his  breast  as  if  in  sleep.  But  at  the 
same  moment  another  figure  glided  out  from  the  shadow 
and  approached  the  fatal  tree.  It  was  Wachita  ! 

He  stopped  in  amazement.  But  in  another  instant  a 
flash  of  intelligence  made  it  clear.  He  remembered  her 
vague  uneasiness  and  solicitude  at  his  agitation,  her  sudden 
disappearance  ;  she  had  fathomed  his  perplexity,  as  she  had 
once  before.  Of  her  own  accord  she  was  going  to  release 
the  prisoner  !  The  knife  to  cut  his  cords  glittered  in  her 
hand.  Brave  and  faithful  animal ! 

He  held  his  breath  as  he  drew  nearer.  But,  to  his  hor- 
ror, the  knife  suddenly  flashed  in  the  air  and  darted  down, 
again  and  again,  upon  the  body  of  the  .helpless  man. 
There  was  a  convulsive  struggle,  but  no  outcry,  and  the 
next  moment  the  body  hung  limp  and  inert  in  its  cords. 
Elijah  would  himself  have  fallen,  half-fainting,  against  a 
tree,  but,  by  a  revulsion  of  feeling,  came  the  quick  revela- 
tion that  the  desperate  girl  had  rightly  solved  the  problem ! 
She  had  done  what  he  ought  to  have  done — and  his  loy- 
alty and  manhood  were  preserved.  That  conviction  and 
the  courage  to  act  upon  it  —  to  have  called  the  sleeping 
braves  to  witness  his  sacrifice  —  would  have  saved  him, 
but  it  was  ordered  otherwise. 

As  the  girl  rapidly  passed  him  he  threw  out  his  hand 
and  seized  her  wrist.  "  Who  did  you  do  this  for  ?  "  he 
demanded. 

"  For  you,"  she  said  stupidly. 

"  And  why  ?  " 

"  Because  you  no  kill  him  —  you  love  his  squaw." 


364  A  DRIFT  FROM  REDWOOD  CAMP 

"  His  squaw  !  "  He  staggered  back.  A  terrible  sus- 
picion flashed  upon  him.  He  dashed  Wachita  aside  and 
ran  to  the  tree.  It  was  the  body  of  the  Indian  agent ! 
Aboriginal  justice  had  been  satisfied.  The  warriors  had 
not  caught  the  murderer,  but,  true  to  their  idea  of  vica- 
rious retribution,  had  determined  upon  the  expiatory  sacri- 
fice of  a  life  as  valuable  and  innocent  as  the  one  they  had 
lost. 

"  So  the  GovVment  hev  at  last  woke  up  and  wiped  out 
them  cussed  Digger  Minyos,"  said  Snap-shot  Harry,  as  he 
laid  down  the  newspaper,  in  the  brand-new  saloon  of  the 
brand-new  town  of  Redwood.  "  I  see  they  Jve  stampeded 
both  banks  of  the  Minyo  Biver,  and  sent  off  a  lot  to  the 
reservation.  I  reckon  the  soldiers  at  Fort  Cass  got  sick  o* 
sentiment  after  those  hounds  killed  the  Injun  agent,  and 
are  beginning  to  agree  with  us  that  the  only  '  good  Injun ' 
is  a  dead  one." 

"  And  it  turns  out  that  that  wonderful  chief,  that  them 
two  packers  used  to  rave  about,  woz  about  as  big  a  devil  ez 
any,  and  tried  to  run  off  with  the  agent's  wife,  only  the 
warriors  killed  her.  I  'd  like  to  know  what  become  of 
him.  Some  says  he  was  killed,  others  allow  that  he  got 
away.  I  've  heerd  tell  that  he  was  originally  some  kind 
of  Methodist  preacher !  —  a  kind  o'  saint  that  got  a  sort 
o'  spiritooal  holt  on  the  old  squaws  and  children." 

"  Why  don't  you  ask  old  Skeesicks  ?  I  see  he 's  back 
here  agin  —  and  grubbin'  along  at  a  dollar  a  day  on  tailin's. 
He 's  been  somewhere  up  north,  they  say." 

"  What,  Skeesicks  ?  that  shiftless,  o'n'ry  cuss !  You  bet 
he  wusn't  anywhere  where  there  was  danger  or  fighting. 
Why,  you  might  as  well  hev  suspected  him  of  being  the  big 
chief  himself  !  There  he  comes  —  ask  him." 

And  the  laughter  was  so  general  that  Elijah  Martin  — 
alias  Skeesicks  —  lounging  shyly  into  the  bar-room,  joined 
in  it  weakly. 


CAPTAIN  JIM'S  FKIEND 


HARDLY  one  of  us,  I  think,  really  believed  in  the 
auriferous  probabilities  of  Eureka  Gulch.  Following  a  little 
stream,  we  had  one  day  drifted  into  it,  very  much  as  we 
imagined  the  river-gold  might  have  done  in  remoter  ages, 
with  the  difference  that  we  remained  there,  while  the  river- 
gold  to  all  appearances  had  not.  At  first  it  was  tacitly 
agreed  to  ignore  this  fact,  and  we  made  the  most  of  the 
charming  locality,  with  its  rare  watercourse  that  lost  itself 
in  tangled  depths  of  manzanita  and  alder,  its  laurel-choked 
pass,  its  flower-strewn  hillside,  and  its  summit  crested  with 
rocking  pines. 

"You  see,"  said  the  optimistic  Rowley,  "water 's  the  main 
thing  after  all.  If  we  happen  to  strike  river-gold,  thar  9a 
the  stream  for  washing  it ;  if  we  happen  to  drop  into  quartz 
—  and  that  thar  rock  looks  mighty  likely  —  thar  ain't  a 
more  natural-born  site  for  a  mill  than  that  right  bank,  with 
water  enough  to  run  fifty  stamps.  That  hillside  is  an 
original  dump  for  your  tailings,  and  a  ready  found  inclined 
road  for  your  trucks,  fresh  from  the  hands  of  Providence ; 
and  that  road  we  ?re  kalkilatin'  to  build  to  the  turnpike  will 
run  just  easy  along  that  ridge." 

Later,  when  we  were  forced  to  accept  the  fact  that  finding 
gold  was  really  the  primary  object  of  a  gold-mining  company, 
we  still  remained  there,  excusing  our  youthful  laziness  and 
incertitude  by  brilliant  and  effective  sarcasms  upon  the 
unremunerative  attractions  of  the  gulch.  Nevertheless, 


366  CAPTAIN  JIM'S  FRIEND 

when  Captain  Jim,  returning  one  day  from  the  nearest 
settlement  and  post-office,  twenty  miles  away,  burst  upon 
us  with  "Well,  the  hull  thing  '11  be  settled  now,  boys;  Lacy 
Bassett  is  coming  down  yer  to  look  round/'  we  felt  con- 
siderably relieved. 

And  yet,  perhaps,  we  had  as  little  reason  for  it  as  we  had 
for  remaining  there.  There  was  no  warrant  for  any  belief 
in  the  special  divining  power  of  the  unknown  Lacy  Bassett, 
except  Captain  Jim's  extravagant  faith  in  his  general  supe- 
riority, and  even  that  had  always  been  a  source  of  amused 
skepticism  to  the  camp.  We  were  already  impatiently 
familiar  with  the  opinions  of  this  unseen  oracle ;  he  was 
always  impending  in  Captain  Jim's  speech  as  a  fragrant 
memory  or  an  unquestioned  authority.  When  Captain  Jim 
began,  "Ez  Lacy  was  one  day  tellin'  me,"  or,  "Ez  Lacy 
Bassett  allows,"  or  more  formally,  when  strangers  were 
present,  "Ez  a  partickler  friend  o'  mine,  Lacy  Bassett  — 
maybe  ez  you  know  him  —  sez,"  the  youthful  and  lighter 
members  of  the  Eureka  Mining  Company  glanced  at  each 
other  in  furtive  enjoyment.  Nevertheless  no  one  looked 
more  eagerly  forward  to  the  arrival  of  this  apocryphal  sage 
than  these  indolent  skeptics.  It  was  at  least  an  excitement ; 
they  were  equally  ready  to  accept  his  condemnation  of  the 
locality  or  his  justification  of  their  original  selection. 

He  came.  He  was  received  by  the  Eureka  Mining  Com- 
pany lying  on  their  backs  on  the  grassy  site  of  the  prospec- 
tive quartz  mill,  not  far  from  the  equally  hypothetical 
"slide  "  to  the  gulch.  He  came  by  the  future  stage  road  — 
at  present  a  thickset  jungle  of  scrub-oaks  and  ferns.  He 
was  accompanied  by  Captain  Jim,  who  had  gone  to  meet 
him  on  the  trail,  and  for  a  few  moments  all  critical  inspec- 
tion of  himself  was  withheld  by  the  extraordinary  effect  he 
seemed  to  have  upon  the  faculties  of  his  introducer. 

Anything  like  the  absolute  prepossession  of  Captain  Jim 
by  the  stranger  we  had  never  imagined.  He  approached  us 


CAPTAIN   JIM'S  FRIEND  367 

running  a  little  ahead  of  his  guest,  and  now  and  then  return- 
ing assuringly  to  his  side  with  the  expression  of  a  devoted 
Newfoundland  dog,  which  in  fluffiness  he  generally  re- 
sembled. And  now,  even  after  the  introduction  was  over, 
when  he  made  a  point  of  standing  aside  in  an  affectation  of 
carelessness,  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  the  simulation 
was  so  apparent,  and  his  consciousness  and  absorption  in  his 
friend  so  obvious,  that  it  was  a  relief  to  us  to  recall  him 
into  the  conversation. 

As  to  our  own  first  impressions  of  the  stranger,  they  were 
probably  correct.  We  all  disliked  him  ;  we  thought  him 
conceited,  self-opinionated,  selfish,  and  untrustworthy.  But 
later,  reflecting  that  this  was  possibly  the  result  of  Captain 
Jim's  over-praise,  and  finding  none  of  these  qualities  as  yet 
offensively  opposed  to  our  own  selfishness  and  conceit,  we 
were  induced,  like  many  others,  to  forget  our  first  impression. 
We  could  easily  correct  him  if  he  attempted  to  impose 
upon  us,  as  he  evidently  had  upon  Captain  Jim.  Believ- 
ing, after  the  fashion  of  most  humanity,  that  there  was 
something  about  us  particularly  awe-inspiring  and  edifying 
to  vice  or  weakness  of  any  kind,  we  good-humoredly  yielded 
to  the  cheap  fascination  of  this  showy,  self-saturated,  over- 
dressed, and  underbred  stranger.  Even  the  epithet  of 
"  blower  "  as  applied  to  him  by  Kowley  had  its  mitigations ; 
in  that  Trajan  community  a  bully  was  not  necessarily  a 
coward,  nor  florid  demonstration  always  a  weakness. 

His  condemnation  of  the  gulch  was  sweeping,  original, 
and  striking.  He  laughed  to  scorn  our  half-hearted  theory 
of  a  gold  deposit  in  the  bed  and  bars  of  our  favorite  stream. 
We  were  not  to  look  for  auriferous  alluvium  in  the  bed  of 
any  present  existing  stream,  but  in  the  "  cement "  or  dried- 
up  bed  of  the  original  prehistoric  rivers  that  formerly 
ran  parallel  with  the  present  bed,  and  which — he  demon- 
strated with  the  stem  of  Pickney's  pipe  in  the  red  dust  — 
could  be  found  by  sinking  shafts  at  right  angles  with  the 


368  CAPTAIN   JIM'S  FRIEND 

stream.  The  theory  was  to  us,  at  that  time,  novel  and 
attractive.  It  was  true  that  the  scientific  explanation,  al- 
though full  and  gratuitous,  sounded  vague  and  incoherent. 
It  was  true  that  the  geological  terms  were  not  always  cor- 
rect, and  their  pronunciation  defective,  but  we  accepted  such 
extraordinary  discoveries  as  "  ignus  fatuus  rock,"  "  splendif- 
erous drift,"  "  mica  twist "  (recalling  a  popular  species  of 
tobacco),  "  iron  pirates,"  and  "  discomposed  quartz  "  as  part 
of  what  he  not  inaptly  called  a  "  tautological  formation," 
and  were  happy.  Nor  was  our  contentment  marred  by  the 
fact  that  the  well-known  scientific  authority  with  whom 
the  stranger  had  been  intimate,  —  to  the  point  of  "  sleeping 
together  "  during  a  survey,  —  and  whom  he  described  as  a 
bent  old  man  with  spectacles,  must  have  aged  considerably 
since  one  of  our  party  saw  him  three  years  before  as  a  keen 
young  fellow  of  twenty-five.  Inaccuracies  like  those  were 
only  the  carelessness  of  genius.  "  That  's  my  opinion, 
gentlemen,"  he  concluded,  negligently  rising,  and  with 
pointed  preoccupation  whipping  the  dust  of  Eureka  Gulch 
from  his  clothes  with  his  handkerchief,  "  but  of  course  it 
ain't  nothin'  to  me." 

Captain  Jim,  who  had  followed  every  word  with  deep 
and  trustful  absorption,  here  repeated,  "  It  ain't  nothing  to 
him,  boys,"  with  a  confidential  implication  of  the  gratuitous 
blessing  we  had  received,  and  then  added,  with  loyal  encour- 
agement to  him,  "  It  ain't  nothing  to  you,  Lacy,  in  course," 
and  laid  his  hand  on  his  shoulder  with  infinite  tenderness. 

We,  however,  endeavored  to  make  it  something  to  Mr. 
Lacy  Bassett.  He  was  spontaneously  offered  a  share  in 
the  company  and  a  part  of  Captain  Jim's  tent.  He  ac- 
cepted both  after  a  few  deprecating  and  muttered  asides  to 
Captain  Jim,  which  the  latter  afterwards  explained  to  us 
was  the  giving  up  of  several  other  important  enterprises  for 
our  sake.  When  he  finally  strolled  away  with  Rowley  to 
look  over  the  gulch,  Captain  Jim  reluctantly  tore  himself 


CAPTAIN   JIM'S  FRIEND  369 

away  from  him  only  for  the  pleasure  of  reiterating  his  praise 
to  us  as  if  in  strictest  confidence  and  as  an  entirely  novel 
proceeding. 

"  You  see,  hoys,  I  did  n't  like  to  say  it  afore  him,  we 
bein'  old  friends ;  but,  between  us,  that  young  feller  ez 
worth  thousands  to  the  camp.  Mebbe,"  he  continued,  with 
grave  naivete,  "  I  ain't  said  much  about  him  afore,  mebbe, 
bein'  old  friends  and  accustomed  to  him  —  you  know  how 
it  is,  boys,  —  I  have  n't  appreciated  him  as  much  ez  I  ought, 
and  ez  you  do.  In  fact,  I  don't  ezakly  remember  how  I 
kem  to  ask  him  down  yer.  It  came  to  me  suddent,  one  day 
only  a  week  ago  Friday  night,  thar  under  that  buckeye ;  I 
was  thinkin'  o'  one  of  his  say  in' s,  and  sez  I  —  thar  *s  Lacy, 
if  he  was  here  he  'd  set  the  hull  thing  right.  It  was  the 
ghost  of  a  chance  my  findin'  him  free,  but  I  did.  And 
there  Tie  is,  and  yer  we  are  settled  !  Ye  noticed  how  he 
just  knocked  the  bottom  outer  our  plans  to  work.  Ye 
noticed  that  quick  sort  o'  sneerin'  smile  o'  his,  did  n't  ye  — 
that 's  Lacy  !  I  've  seen  him  knock  over  a  heap  o'  things 
without  sayin'  any  thin'  —  with  jist  that  smile." 

It  occurred  to  us  that  we  might  have  some  difficulty  in 
utilizing  this  smile  in  our  present  affairs,  and  that  we  should 
have  probably  preferred  something  more  assuring,  but  Cap- 
tain Jim's  faith  was  contagious. 

"  What  is  he,  anyway  ?  "  asked  Joe  Walker  lazily. 

"  Eh !  "  echoed  Captain  Jim  in  astonishment.  "  WTiat 
is  Lacy  Bassett  ?  " 

"Yes,  what  is  he  ?  "  repeated  Walker. 

"  Wot  is  —  he  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"  I  've  knowed  him  now  goin'  as  four  year,"  said  Captain 
Jim,  with  slow,  reflective  contentment.  "  Let 's  see.  It 
was  in  the  fall  o'  '54  I  first  met  him,  and  he  's  allus  been 
the  same  ez  you  see  him  now." 

"  But  what  is  his  business  or  profession  ?  What  does 
he  do  ?  » 


370  CAPTAIN  JIM'S  FEIEND 

Captain  Jim  looked  reproachfully  at  his  questioner. 

"  Do  ?  "  he  repeated,  turning  to  the  rest  of  us  as  if  dis- 
daining a  direct  reply.  "  Do  ?  —  why,  wot  he 's  doin'  now. 
He 's  allus  the  same,  allus  Lacy  Bassett." 

Howbeit,  we  went  to  work  the  next  day  under  the  super- 
intendence of  the  stranger  with  youthful  and  enthusiastic 
energy,  and  began  the  sinking  of  a  shaft  at  once.  To  do 
Captain  Jim's  friend  justice,  for  the  first  few  weeks  he  did 
not  shirk  a  fair  share  of  the  actual  labor,  replacing  his 
objectionable  and  unsuitable  finery  with  a  suit  of  service- 
able working  clothes  got  together  by  general  contribution  of 
the  camp,  and  assuring  us  of  a  fact  we  afterwards  had  cause 
to  remember,  that  "  he  brought  nothing  but  himself  into 
Eureka  Gulch."  It  may  be  added  that  he  certainly  had 
not  brought  money  there,  as  Captain  Jim  advanced  the 
small  amounts  necessary  for  his  purchases  in  the  distant 
settlement,  and  for  the  still  smaller  sums  he  lost  at  cards, 
which  he  played  with  characteristic  self-sufficiency. 

Meantime  the  work  in  the  shaft  progressed  slowly  but 
regularly.  Even  when  the  novelty  had  worn  off  and  the 
excitement  of  anticipation  grew  fainter,  I  am  afraid  that  we 
clung  to  this  new  form  of  occupation  as  an  apology  for 
remaining  there  ;  for  the  fascinations  of  our  vagabond  and 
unconventional  life  were  more  potent  than  we  dreamed  of. 
We  were  slowly  fettered  by  our  very  freedom ;  there  was  a 
strange  spell  in  this  very  boundlessness  of  our  license  that 
kept  us  from  even  the  desire  of  change  ;  in  the  wild  and 
lawless  arms  of  Nature  herself  we  found  an  embrace  as 
clinging,  as  hopeless  and  restraining,  as  the  civilization  from 
which  we  had  fled.  We  were  quite  content  after  a  few 
hours'  work  in  the  shaft  to  lie  on  our  backs  on  the  hillside 
staring  at  the  unwinking  sky,  or  to  wander  with  a  gun 
through  the  virgin  forest  in  search  of  game  scarcely  less 
vagabond  than  ourselves.  We  indulged  in  the  most  extrav- 
agant and  dreamy  speculations  of  the  fortune  we  should 


CAPTAIN   JIM'S  FEIEND  371 

eventually  discover  in  the  shaft,  and  believed  that  we  were 
practical.  We  broke  our  "  saleratus  bread  "  with  appetites 
unimpaired  by  restlessness  or  anxiety  ;  we  went  to  sleep 
under  the  grave  and  sedate  stars  with  a  serene  consciousness 
of  having  fairly  earned  our  rest ;  we  awoke  the  next  morn- 
ing with  unabated  trustfulness,  and  a  sweet  obliviousness  of 
even  the  hypothetical  fortunes  we  had  perhaps  won  or  lost 
at  cards  overnight.  We  paid  no  heed  to  the  fact  that  our 
little  capital  was  slowly  sinking  with  the  shaft,  and  that 
the  rainy  season  —  wherein  not  only  "  no  man  could  work," 
but  even  such  play  as  ours  was  impossible  —  was  momen- 
tarily impending. 

In  the  midst  of  this,  one  day  Lacy  Bassett  suddenly 
emerged  from  the  shaft  before  his  "  shift "  of  labor  was 
over  with  every  sign  of  disgust  and  rage  in  his  face  and  in- 
articulate with  apparent  passion.  In  vain  we  gathered 
round  him  in  concern  ;  in  vain  Captain  Jim  regarded  him 
with  almost  feminine  sympathy,  as  he  flung  away  his  pick 
and  dashed  his  hat  to  the  ground. 

"  What 's  up,  Lacy,  old  pard  ?  What 'B  gone  o'  you  ?  " 
said  Captain  Jim  tenderly. 

"  Look !  "  gasped  Lacy  at  last,  when  every  eye  was  on 
him,  holding  up  a  small  fragment  of  rock  before  us  and  the 
next  moment  grinding  it  under  his  heel  in  rage.  "  Look  ! 
To  think  that  I  've  been  fooled  agin  by  this  blanked  fos- 
siliferous  trap  —  blank  it !  To  think  that  after  me  and 
Professor  Parker  was  once  caught  jist  in  this  way  up  on 
the  Stanislaus  at  the  bottom  of  a  hundred-foot  shaft  by  this 
rotten  trap  —  that  yer  I  am  —  bluffed  agin  !  " 

There  was  a  dead  silence ;  we  looked  at  each  other 
blankly. 

"  But,  Bassett,"  said  Walker,  picking  up  a  part  of  the 
fragment,  "  we  *ve  been  finding  this  kind  of  stuff  for  the 
last  two  weeks." 

(t  But  how  ?  "  returned  Lacy,  turning  upon  him  almost 


372  CAPTAIN  JIM'S  FRIEND 

fiercely.  "  Did  ye  find  it  superposed  on  quartz,  or  did 
you  find  it  not  superposed  on  quartz  ?  Did  you  find  it  in 
volcanic  drift,  or  did  ye  find  it  in  old  red-sandstone  or 
coarse  illuvion  ?  Tell  me  that,  and  then  ye  kin  talk.  But 
this  yer  blank  f ossilif erous  trap,  instead  o'  being  superposed 
on  top,  is  superposed  on  the  bottom.  And  that  means  "  — 

"  What  ?  "   we  all  asked  eagerly. 

"  Why  —  blank  it  all  —  that  this  yer  convulsion  of  na- 
ture, this  prehistoric  volcanic  earthquake,  instead  of  acting 
laterally  and  chuckin'  the  stream  to  one  side,  has  been 
revolutionary  and  turned  the  old  river-bed  bottom-side  up, 
and  yer  d — d  cement  hez  got  half  the  globe  atop  of  it !  Ye 
might  strike  it  from  China,  but  nowhere  else.'7 

We  continued  to  look  at  one  another,  the  older  members 
with  darkening  faces,  the  younger  with  a  strong  inclination 
to  laugh.  Captain  Jim,  who  had  been  concerned  only  in 
his  friend's  emotion,  and  who  was  hanging  with  undisguised 
satisfaction  on  these  final  convincing  proofs  of  his  superior 
geological  knowledge,  murmured  approvingly  and  confid- 
ingly, "  He 's  right,  boys  !  Thar  ain't  another  man  livin' 
ez  could  give  you  the  law  and  gospil  like  that !  Ye  can 
tie  to  what  he  says.  That 's  Lacy  all  over." 

Two  weeks  passed.  We  had  gathered,  damp  and  discon- 
solate, in  the  only  available  shelter  of  the  camp.  For  the 
long  summer  had  ended  unexpectedly  to  us ;  we  had  one 
day  found  ourselves  caught  like  the  improvident  insect  of 
the  child's  fable  with  gauzy  and  unseasonable  wings  wet 
and  bedraggled  in  the  first  rains,  homeless  and  hopeless. 
The  scientific  Lacy,  who  lately  spent  most  of  his  time  as  a 
bar-room  oracle  in  the  settlement,  was  away,  and  from  our 
dripping  canvas  we  could  see  Captain  Jim  returning  from  a 
visit  to  him,  slowly  plodding  along  the  trail  towards  us. 

"  It 's  no  use,  boys,"  said  Rowley,  summarizing  the  re- 
sult of  our  conference,  "  we  must  speak  out  to  him  ;  and  if 
nobody  else  cares  to  do  it  I  will.  I  don't  know  why  we 


CAPTAIN   JIM'S  FEIEND  373 

should  be  more  mealy-mouthed  than  they  are  at  the  settle- 
ment. They  don't  hesitate  to  call  Bassett  a  dead-beat, 
whatever  Captain  Jim  says  to  the  contrary." 

The  unfortunate  Captain  Jim  had  halted  irresolutely  be- 
fore the  gloomy  faces  in  the  shelter.  Whether  he  felt  in- 
stinctively some  forewarning  of  what  was  coming  I  cannot 
say.  There  was  a  certain  doglike  consciousness  in  his  eye 
and  a  half-backward  glance  over  his  shoulder  as  if  he  were 
not  quite  certain  that  Lacy  was  not  following.  The  rain 
had  somewhat  subdued  his  characteristic  flufnness,  and  he 
cowered  with  a  kind  of  sleek  storm-beaten  despondency 
over  the  smoking  fire  of  green  wood  before  our  tent. 

Nevertheless,  Rowley  opened  upon  him  with  a  direct- 
ness and  decision  that  astonished  us.  He  pointed  out 
briefly  that  Lacy  Bassett  had  been  known  to  us  only 
through  Captain  Jim's  introduction.  That  he  had  been 
originally  invited  there  on  Captain  Jim's  own  account,  and 
that  his  later  connection  with  the  company  had  been  wholly 
the  result  of  Captain  Jim's  statements.  That,  far  from  be- 
ing any  aid  or  assistance  to  them,  Bassett  had  beguiled 
them  by  apocryphal  knowledge  and  sham  scientific  theories 
into  an  expensive  and  gigantic  piece  of  folly.  That,  in 
addition  to  this,  they  had  just  discovered  that  he  had  also 
been  using  the  credit  of  the  company  for  his  own  individ- 
ual expenses  at  the  settlement  while  they  were  working  on 
his  d — d  fool  shaft  —  all  of  which  had  brought  them  to  the 
verge  of  bankruptcy.  That,  as  a  result,  they  were  forced 
now  to  demand  his  resignation  —  not  only  on  their  general 
account,  but  for  Captain  Jim's  sake  —  believing  firmly,  as 
they  did,  that  he  had  been  as  grossly  deceived  in  his  friend- 
ship for  Lacy  Bassett  as  they  were  in  their  business  rela- 
tions with  him. 

Instead  of  being  mollified  by  this,  Captain  Jim,  to  our 
greater  astonishment,  suddenly  turned  upon  the  speaker, 
bristling  with  his  old  canine  suggestion. 


374  CAPTAIN   JIM'S  FRIEND 

"  There  !  I  said  so  !  Go  on !  I  'd  have  sworn  to  it 
afore  you  opened  your  lips.  I  knowed  it  the  day  you 
sneaked  around  and  wanted  to  know  wot  his  business  was  ! 
I  said  to  myself,  Cap,  look  out  for  that  sneakin'  hound 
Kowley,  he  's  no  friend  o'  Lacy's.  And  the  day  Lacy  so 
far  demeaned  himself  as  to  give  ye  that  splendid  explana- 
tion o'  things,  I  watched  ye  ;  ye  did  n't  think  it,  but  I 
watched  ye.  Ye  can't  fool  me  !  I  saw  ye  lookin'  at 
Walker  there,  and  I  said  to  myself,  Wot 's  the  use,  Lacy, 
wot 's  the  use  o'  your  slingin'  them  words  to  such  as  them  ? 
Wot  do  they  know  ?  It 's  just  their  pure  jealousy  and 
ignorance.  Ef  you'd  come  down  yer,  and  lazed  around 
with  us  and  fallen  into  our  common  ways,  you  'd  ha'  been 
ez  good  a  man  ez  the  next.  But  no,  it  ain't  your  style, 
Lacy,  you  're  accustomed  to  high-toned  men  like  Professor 
Parker,  and  you  can't  help  showing  it.  No  wonder  you 
took  to  avoidin'  us  ;  no  wonder  I  've  had  to  f oiler  you  over 
the  Burnt  Wood  Crossin'  time  and  again,  to  get  to  see  ye. 
I  see  it  all  now  :  ye  can't  stand  the  kempany  I  brought  ye 
to !  Ye  had  to  wipe  the  slumgullion  of  Eureka  Gulch  off 
your  hands,  Lacy  "  —  He  stopped,  gasped  for  breath,  and 
then  lifted  his  voice  more  savagely,  "  And  now,  what 's 
this  ?  Wot 's  this  hogwash  ?  this  yer  lyin'  slander  about 
his  gettin'  things  on  the  kempany's  credit  ?  Eh,  speak  up, 
some  of  ye  !  " 

We  were  so  utterly  shocked  and  stupefied  at  the  degra- 
dation of  this  sudden  and  unexpected  outburst  from  a  man 
usually  so  honorable,  gentle,  self-sacrificing,  and  forgiving, 
that  we  forgot  the  cause  of  it  and  could  only  stare  at  each 
other.  What  was  this  cheap  stranger,  with  his  shallow 
swindling  tricks,  to  the  ignoble  change  he  had  worked  upon 
the  man  before  us.  Kowley  and  Walker,  both  fearless 
fighters  and  quick  to  resent  an  insult,  only  averted  their 
saddened  faces  and  turned  aside  without  a  word. 

"  Ye  dussen't  say  it !     Well,  hark  to  me  then/7  he  con- 


CAPTAIN   JIM'S  FRIEND  375 

tinned,  with  white  and  feverish  lips.  "  /  put  him  up  to 
helpin'  himself.  /  told  him  to  use  the  kempany's  name 
for  credit.  Ye  kin  put  that  down  to  me.  And  when  ye 
talk  of  his  resigning,  I  want  ye  to  understand  that  /  resign 
outer  this  rotten  kempany  and  take  him  with  me  !  Ef  all 
the  gold  yer  lookin'  for  was  piled  up  in  that  shaft  from 
its  bottom  in  hell  to  its  top  in  the  gulch,  it  ain't  enough  to 
keep  me  here  away  from  him !  Ye  kin  take  all  my  share 
—  all  my  rights  yer  above  ground  and  below  it  —  all  I 
carry, "  — he  threw  his  buckskin  purse  and  revolver  on  the 
ground,  —  "and  pay  yourselves  what  you  reckon  you've 
lost  through  him.  But  you  and  me  is  quits  from  to-day." 
He  strode  away  before  a  restraining  voice  or  hand  could 
reach  him.  His  dripping  figure  seemed  to  melt  into  the 
rain  beneath  the  thickening  shadows  of  the  pines,  and  the 
next  moment  he  was  gone.  From  that  day  forward  Eureka 
Gulch  knew  him  no  more.  And  the  camp  itself  somehow 
melted  away  during  the  rainy  season,  even  as  he  had  done. 


n 

THREE  years  had  passed.  The  pioneer  stagecoach  was 
sweeping  down  the  long  descent  to  the  pastoral  valley  of 
Gilead,  and  I  was  looking  towards  the  village  with  some 
pardonable  interest  and  anxiety.  For  I  carried  in  my 
pocket  my  letters  of  promotion  from  the  box  seat  of  the 
coach  —  where  I  had  performed  the  functions  of  treasure 
messenger  for  the  Excelsior  Express  Company  —  to  the 
resident  agency  of  that  company  in  the  bucolic  hamlet  be- 
fore me.  The  few  dusty  right-angled  streets,  with  their 
rigid  and  staringly  new  shops  and  dwellings,  the  stern  for- 
mality of  one  or  two  obelisk-like  meeting-house  spires,  the 
illimitable  outlying  plains  of  wheat  and  wild  oats  beyond, 
with  their  monotony  scarcely  broken  by  skeleton  stockades, 
corrals,  and  barrack-looking  farm  buildings,  were  all  cer- 
tainly unlike  the  unkempt  freedom  of  the  mountain  fast- 
nesses in  which  I  had  lately  lived  and  moved.  Yuba  Bill, 
the  driver,  whose  usual  expression  of  humorous  discontent 
deepened  into  scorn  as  he  gathered  up  his  reins  as  if  to 
charge  the  village  and  recklessly  sweep  it  from  his  path, 
indicated  a  huge,  rambling,  obtrusively  glazed,  and  capital- 
lettered  building  with  a  contemptuous  flick  of  his  whip  as 
we  passed.  "  Ef  you  're  kalkilatin'  we  '11  get  our  partin' 
drink  there  you  're  mistaken.  That 's  wot  they  call  a 
temperance  house  —  wot  means  a  place  where  the  licker  ye 
get  underhand  is  only  a  trifle  worse  than  the  hash  ye  get 
above-board.  I  suppose  it 's  part  o'  one  o'  the  mysteries  o' 
Providence  that  wherever  you  find  a  dusty  hole  like  this  — 
that 's  naturally  thirsty  —  ye  run  agin  a  '  temperance  ' 


CAPTAIN   JIM'S  FRIEND  377 

house.  But  never  you  mind  !  I  should  n't  wonder  if  thar 
was  a  demijohn  o'  whiskey  in  the  closet  of  your  back  office, 
kept  thar  by  the  feller  you  're  relievin'  —  who  was  a  white 
man  and  knew  the  ropes." 

A  few  minutes  later,  when  my  brief  installation  was  over, 
we  did  find  the  demijohn  in  the  place  indicated.  As  Yuba 
Bill  wiped  his  mouth  with  the  back  of  his  heavy  buckskin 
glove,  he  turned  to  me  not  unkindly.  "  I  don't  like  to  set 
ye  agin  Gil-e-ad,  which  is  a  scrip-too-rural  place,  and  a  God- 
fearin'  place,  and  a  nice  dry  place,  and  a  place  ez  I  've  heard 
tell  whar  they  grow  beans  and  pertatoes  and  garden  sass  ; 
but  afore  three  weeks  is  over,  old  pard,  you  '11  be  howlin' 
to  get  back  on  that  box  seat  with  me,  whar  you  uster  sit, 
and  be  ready  to  take  your  chances  agin,  like  a  little  man, 
to  get  drilled  through  with  buckshot  from  road  agents. 
You  hear  me !  I  '11  give  you  three  weeks,  sonny,  just 
three  weeks,  to  get  your  butes  full  o'  hayseed  and  straws  in 
yer  ha'r ;  and  I  '11  find  ye  wadin'  the  North  Fork  at  high 
water  to  get  out  o'  this."  He  shook  my  hand  with  grim 
tenderness,  removing  his  glove  —  a  rare  favor  —  to  give  me 
the  pressure  of  his  large,  soft,  protecting  palm,  and  strode 
away.  The  next  moment  he  was  shaking  the  white  dust  of 
Gilead  from  his  scornful  chariot-wheels. 

In  the  hope  of  familiarizing  myself  with  the  local  inter- 
ests of  the  community,  I  took  up  a  copy  of  the  "  Gilead 
Guardian"  which  lay  on  my  desk,  forgetting  for  the 
moment  the  usual  custom  of  the  country  press  to  displace 
local  news  for  long  editorials  on  foreign  subjects  and 
national  politics.  I  found,  to  my  disappointment,  that  the 
"  Guardian  "  exhibited  more  than  the  usual  dearth  of  do- 
mestic intelligence,  although  it  was  singularly  oracular  on 
"  The  State  of  Europe,"  and  "  Jeffersonian  Democracy." 
A  certain  cheap  assurance,  a  copy-book  dogmatism,  a  collo- 
quial familiarity,  even  in  the  impersonal  plural,  and  a  series 
of  inaccuracies  and  blunders  here  and  there,  struck  some 


378  CAPTAIN   JIM'S  FRIEND 

old  chord  in  my  memory.  I  was  mutely  wondering  where 
and  when  I  had  become  personally  familiar  with  rhetoric 
like  that,  when  the  door  of  the  office  opened  and  a  man 
entered.  I  was  surprised  to  recognize  Captain  Jim. 

I  had  not  seen  him  since  he  had  indignantly  left  us, 
three  years  before,  in  Eureka  Gulch.  The  circumstances 
of  his  defection  were  certainly  not  conducive  to  any  volun- 
tary renewal  of  friendship  on  either  side  ;  and  although, 
even  as  a  former  member  of  the  Eureka  Mining  Company, 
I  was  not  conscious  of  retaining  any  sense  of  injury,  yet 
the  whole  occurrence  flashed  back  upon  me  with  awkward 
distinctness.  To  my  relief,  however,  he  greeted  me  with 
his  old  cordiality  ;  to  my  amusement  he  added  to  it  a  sug- 
gestion of  the  large  forgiveness  of  conscious  rectitude  and 
amiable  toleration.  I  thought,  however,  I  detected,  as  he 
glanced  at  the  paper  which  was  still  in  my  hand  and  then 
back  again  at  my  face,  the  same  uneasy  canine  resemblance 
I  remembered  of  old.  He  had  changed  but  little  in  appear- 
ance; perhaps  he  was  a  trifle  stouter,  more  mature,  and 
slower  in  his  movements.  If  I  may  return  to  my  canine 
illustration,  his  grayer,  dustier,  and  more  wiry  ensemble 
gave  me  the  impression  that  certain  pastoral  and  agricul- 
tural conditions  had  varied  his  type,  and  he  looked  more 
like  a  shepherd's  dog  in  whose  brown  eyes  there  was  an 
abiding  consciousness  of  the  care  of  straying  sheep,  and 
possibly  of  one  black  one  in  particular. 

He  had,  he  told  me,  abandoned  mining  and  taken  up 
farming  on  a  rather  large  scale.  He  had  prospered.  He 
had  other  interests  at  stake,  "A  flour-mill  with  some  im- 
provements—  and  —  and"  —  here  his  eyes  wandered  to 
the  "  Guardian  "  again,  and  he  asked  me  somewhat  abruptly 
what  I  thought  of  the  paper.  Something  impelled  me  to 
restrain  my  previous  fuller  criticism,  and  I  contented  myself 
by  saying  briefly  that  I  thought  it  rather  ambitious  for  the 
locality.  "  That 's  the  word,"  he  said,  with  a  look  of  grat- 


CAPTAIN  JIM'S  FRIEND  379 

ified  relief,  "  '  ambitious '  —  you  've  just  hit  it.  And  what  'a 
the  matter  with  thet  ?  Ye  can't  expect  a  high-toned  man 
to  write  down  to  the  level  of  every  karpin'  hound,  ken  ye 
now  ?  That 's  what  he  says  to  me  "  —  He  stopped  half 
confused,  and  then  added  abruptly  :  "  That 's  one  o'  my 
investments." 

"  Why,  Captain  Jim,  I  never  suspected  that  you  "  — 

"  Oh,  I  don't  write  it,"  he  interrupted  hastily.  "  I 
only  furnish  the  money  and  the  advertising,  and  run  it 
gin'rally,  you  know ;  and  I  'in  responsible  for  it.  And  I 
select  the  eddyter  —  and  "  —  he  continued,  with  a  return 
of  the  same  uneasy  wistful  look  —  "  thar  's  suthin'  in  thet, 
you  know,  eh  ?  " 

I  was  beginning  to  be  perplexed.  The  memory  evoked 
by  the  style  of  the  editorial  writing  and  the  presence  of 
Captain  Jim  was  assuming  a  suspicious  relationship  to  each 
other.  "  And  who  's  your  editor  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Oh,  he  's  —  he 's  —  er  —  Lacy  Bassett,"  he  replied, 
blinking  his  eyes  with  a  hopeless  assumption  of  careless- 
ness. "  Let 's  see  !  Oh  yes  !  You  knowed  Lacy  down 
there  at  Eureka.  I  disremembered  it  till  now.  Yes,  sir !  " 
he  repeated  suddenly  and  almost  rudely,  as  if  to  preclude 
any  adverse  criticism,  "  he 's  the  eddyter  !  " 

To  my  surprise  he  was  quite  white  and  tremulous  with 
nervousness.  I  was  very  sorry  for  him ;  and  as  I  really 
cared  very  little  for  the  half-forgotten  escapade  of  his  friend 
except  so  far  as  it  seemed  to  render  him  sensitive,  I  shook 
his  hand  again  heartily  and  began  to  talk  of  our  old  life  in 
the  gulch  —  avoiding  as  far  as  possible  any  allusion  to  Lacy 
Bassett.  His  face  brightened  ;  his  old  simple  cordiality 
and  trustfulness  returned,  but  unfortunately  with  it  his  old 
disposition  to  refer  to  Bassett.  "Yes,  they  waz  high  old 
times ;  and  ez  I  waz  sayin'  to  Lacy  on'y  yesterday,  there  is 
a  kind  o'  freedom  'bout  that  sort  o'  life  that  runs  civiliza- 
tion and  noospapers  mighty  hard,  however  high-toned  they 


380  CAPTAIN  JIM'S  FRIEND 

is.  Not  but  what  Lacy  ain't  right,57  he  added  quickly, 
"  when  he  sez  that  the  opposition  the  '  Guardian '  gets  here 
comes  from  ignorant  low-down  fellers  ez  wos  brought  up 
in  played-out  camps,  and  can't  tell  a  gentleman  and  a 
scholar  and  a  scientific  man  when  they  sees  him.  No  !  So 
I  sez  to  Lacy,  l  Never  you  mind,  it 's  high  time  they  did, 
and  they  've  got  to  do  it  and  to  swaller  the  "  Guardian," 
if  I  sink  double  the  money  I've  already  put  into  the 
paper.'  ): 

I  was  not  long  in  discovering  from  other  sources  that 
the  "  Guardian  "  was  not  popular  with  the  more  intelli- 
gent readers  of  Gilead,  and  that  Captain  Jim's  extravagant 
estimate  of  his  friend  was  by  no  means  indorsed  by  the 
community.  But  criticism  took  a  humorous  turn  even  in 
that  practical  settlement,  and  it  appeared  that  Lacy  Bassett's 
vanity,  assumption,  and  ignorance  were  an  unfailing  and 
weekly  joy  to  the  critical,  in  spite  of  the  vague  distrust 
they  induced  in  the  more  homely-witted,  and  the  dull  ac- 
quiescence of  that  minority  who  accepted  the  paper  for  its 
respectable  exterior  and  advertisements.  I  was  somewhat 
grieved,  however,  to  find  that  Captain  Jim  shared  equally 
with  his  friend  in  this  general  verdict  of  incompetency, 
and  that  some  of  the  most  outrageous  blunders  were  put 
down  to  him.  But  I  was  not  prepared  to  believe  that 
Lacy  had  directly  or  by  innuendo  helped  the  public  to  this 
opinion. 

Whether  through  accident  or  design  on  his  part,  Lacy 
Bassett  did  not  personally  obtrude  himself  upon  my  re- 
membrance until  a  month  later.  One  dazzling  afternoon, 
when  the  dust  and  heat  had  driven  the  pride  of  Gilead's 
manhood  into  the  surreptitious  shadows  of  the  temperance 
hotel's  back  room,  and  had  even  cleared  the  express  office  of 
its  loungers,  and  left  me  alone  with  darkened  windows  in 
the  private  office,  the  outer  door  opened  and  Captain  Jim's 
friend  entered  as  part  of  that  garish  glitter  I  had  shut  out. 


CAPTAIN  JIM'S  FRIEND  381 

To  do  the  scamp  strict  justice,  however,  he  was  somewhat 
subdued  in  his  dress  and  manner,  and,  possibly  through 
some  gentle  chastening  of  epigram  and  revolver  since  I  had 
seen  him  last,  was  less  aggressive  and  exaggerated.  I  had 
the  impression,  from  certain  odors  wafted  through  the  apart- 
ment and  a  peculiar  physical  exaltation  that  was  inconsistent 
with  his  evident  moral  hesitancy,  that  he  had  prepared 
himself  for  the  interview  by  a  previous  visit  to  the  hidden 
fountains  of  the  temperance  hotel. 

"  We  don't  seem  to  have  run  agin  each  other  since  you  've 
been  here,"  he  said,  with  an  assurance  that  was  nevertheless 
a  trifle  forced,  "  but  I  reckon  we  're  both  busy  men,  and 
there 's  a  heap  too  much  loafing  goin'  on  in  Gilead.  Cap- 
tain Jim  told  me  he  met  you  the  day  you  arrived  ;  said  you 
just  cottoned  to  the  '  Guardian '  at  once  and  thought  it  a 
deal  too  good  for  Gilead ;  eh  ?  Oh,  well,  jest  ez  likely  he 
did  n't  say  it  —  it  was  only  his  gassin'.  He  's  a  queer  man 
—  is  Captain  Jim." 

I  replied  somehat  sharply  that  I  considered  him  a  very 
honest  man,  a  very  simple  man,  and  a  very  loyal  man. 

"  That  's  all  very  well,"  said  Bassett,  twirling  his  cane 
with  a  patronizing  smile,  "but,  as  his  friend,  don't  you 
find  him  considerable  of  a  darned  fool  ?  " 

I  could  not  help  retorting  that  I  thought  he  had  found 
that  hardly  an  objection. 

"  You  think  so,"  he  said  querulously,  apparently  ignor- 
ing everything  but  the  practical  fact,  —  "  and  maybe  others 
do ;  but  that 's  where  you  7re  mistaken.  It  don't  pay.  It 
may  pay  him  to  be  runnin'  me  as  his  particular  friend,  to 
be  quotin'  me  here  and  there,  to  be  gettin'  credit  of 
knowin'  me  and  my  friends  and  ownin'  me  —  by  Gosh ! 
but  I  don't  see  where  the  benefit  to  me  comes  in.  Eh  ? 
Take  your  own  case  down  there  at  Eureka  Gulch  ;  did  n't 
he  send  for  me  just  to  show  me  up  to  you  fellers  ?  Did  I 
want  to  have  anything  to  do  with  the  Eureka  Company  ? 


382  CAPTAIN   JIM'S  FRIEND 

Did  n't  he  set  me  up  to  give  my  opinion  about  that  shaft 
just  to  show  off  what  I  knew  about  science  and  all  that  ? 
And  what  did  he  get  me  to  join  the  company  for  ?  Was 
it  for  you  ?  No  !  Was  it  for  me  ?  No  !  It  was  just 
to  keep  me  there  for  himself,  and  kinder  pit  me  agin  you 
fellers  and  crow  over  you  !  Now  that  ain't  my  style  !  It 
may  be  his  —  it  may  be  honest  and  simple  and  loyal,  as 
you  say,  and  it  may  be  all  right  for  him  to  get  me  to  run 
up  accounts  at  the  settlement  and  then  throw  off  on  me  — 
but  it  ain't  my  style.  I  suppose  he  let  on  that  I  did  that. 
No  ?  He  did  n't  ?  Well,  then,  why  did  he  want  to  run 
me  off  with  him,  and  cut  the  whole  concern  in  an  under- 
hand way  and  make  me  leave  with  nary  a  character  behind 
me,  eh  ?  Now,  I  never  said  anything  about  this  before  — 
did  I  ?  It  ain't  like  me.  I  would  n't  have  said  anything 
about  it  now,  only  you  talked  about  my  being  benefited  by 
his  darned  foolishness.  Much  I  've  made  outer  him" 

Despicable,  false,  and  disloyal  as  this  was,  perhaps  it 
was  the  crowning  meanness  of  such  confidences  that  his 
very  weakness  seemed  only  a  reflection  of  Captain  Jim's 
own,  and  appeared  in  some  strange  way  to  degrade  his 
friend  as  much  as  himself.  The  simplicity  of  his  vanity 
and  selfishness  was  only  equaled  by  the  simplicity  of  Cap- 
tain Jim's  admiration  of  it.  It  was  a  part  of  my  youthful 
inexperience  of  humanity  that  I  was  not  above  the  common 
fallacy  of  believing  that  a  man  is  "  known  by  the  company 
he  keeps,"  and  that  he  is  in  a  manner  responsible  for  its 
weakness  ;  it  was  a  part  of  that  humanity  that  I  felt  no 
surprise  in  being  more  amused  than  shocked  by  this  revela- 
tion. It  seemed  a  good  joke  on  Captain  Jim  ! 

"  Of  course  you  kin  laugh  at  his  darned  foolishness  ; 
but,  by  Gosh,  it  ain't  a  laughing  matter  to  me  !  " 

"  But  surely  he  's  given  you  a  good  position  on  the 
'  Guardian,' "  I  urged.  "  That  was  disinterested,  cer- 
tainly." 


CAPTAIN   JIM'S  FRIEND  383 

"  Was  it  ?  I  call  that  the  cheekiest  thing  yet.  When 
he  found  he  could  n't  make  enough  of  me  in  private  life, 
he  totes  me  out  in  public  as  his  editor,  —  the  man  who 
runs  his  paper  !  And  has  his  name  in  print  as  the  pro- 
prietor, the  only  chance  he  'd  ever  get  of  being  before  the 
public.  And  don't  know  the  whole  town  is  laughing  at 
him  !  " 

"That  may  be  because  they  think  he  writes  some  of  the 
articles,"  I  suggested. 

Again  the  insinuation  glanced  harmlessly  from  his  van- 
ity. "  That  could  n't  be,  because  /  do  all  the  work,  and 
it  ain't  his  style,"  he  said,  with  naive  discontent.  "  And 
it 's  always  the  highest  style,  done  to  please  him,  though 
between  you  and  me  it 's  sorter  castin'  pearls  before  swine, 
—  this  'Frisco  editing,  —  and  the  public  would  be  just  as 
satisfied  with  anything  I  could  rattle  off  that  was  peart  and 
sassy,  —  something  spicy  or  personal.  I  'm  willing  to 
clirnb  down  and  do  it,  for  there 's  nothin'  stuck-up  about 
me,  you  know  ;  but  that  darned  fool  Captain  Jim  has  got 
the  big  head  about  the  style  of  the  paper,  and  darned  if  I 
don't  think  he  's  afraid  if  there  's  a  lettin'  down,  people 
may  think  it 's  him  !  Ez  if  !  Why,  you  know  as  well  as 
me  that  there  's  a  sort  of  snap  I  could  give  these  things 
that  would  show  it  was  me  and  no  slouch  did  them,  in  a 
minute." 

I  had  my  doubts  about  the  elegance  or  playfulness  of 
Mr.  Bassett's  trifling,  but  from  some  paragraphs  that  ap- 
peared in  the  next  issue  of  the  "  Guardian  "  I  judged  that 
he  had  won  over  Captain  Jim  —  if  indeed  that  gentleman's 
alleged  objections  were  not  entirely  the  outcome  of  Bas- 
sett's fancy.  The  social  paragraphs  themselves  were  clumsy 
and  vulgar.  A  dull-witted  account  of  a  select  party  at 
Parson  Baxter's,  with  a  pointblank  compliment  to  Polly 
Baxter  his  daughter,  might  have  made  her  pretty  cheek 
burn  but  for  her  evident  prepossession  for  the  meretricious 


384  CAPTAIN  JIM'S  FRIEND 

scamp,  its  writer.  But  even  this  horse-play  seemed  more 
natural  than  the  utterly  artificial  editorials  with  their  pinch- 
beck glitter  and  cheap  erudition  ;  and  thus  far  it  appeared 
harmless. 

I  grieve  to  say  that  these  appearances  were  deceptive. 
One  afternoon,  as  I  was  returning  from  a  business  visit  to 
the  outskirts  of  the  village,  I  was  amazed  on  reentering  the 
main  street  to  find  a  crowd  collected  around  the  "  Guard- 
ian "  office,  gazing  at  the  broken  glass  of  its  windows  and  a 
quantity  of  type  scattered  on  the  ground.  But  my  atten- 
tion was  at  that  moment  more  urgently  attracted  by  a  simi- 
lar group  around  my  own  office,  who,  however,  seemed 
more  cautious,  and  were  holding  timorously  aloof  from  the 
entrance.  As  I  ran  rapidly  towards  them,  a  few  called 
out,  "  Look  out  — he  *s  in  there  !  "  while  others  made  way 
to  let  me  pass.  With  the  impression  of  fire  or  robbery  in 
my  mind,  I  entered  precipitately,  only  to  find  Yuba  Bill 
calmly  leaning  back  in  an  armchair  with  his  feet  on  the 
back  of  another,  a  glass  of  whiskey  from  my  demijohn  in 
one  hand  and  a  huge  cigar  in  his  mouth.  Across*  his  lap 
lay  a  stumpy  shot-gun  which  I  at  once  recognized  as  "  the 
Left  Bower,"  whose  usual  place  was  at  his  feet  on  the  box 
during  his  journeys.  He  looked  cool  and  collected,  although 
there  were  one  or  two  splashes  of  printer's  ink  on  his  shirt 
and  trousers,  and  from  the  appearance  of  my  lavatory  and 
towel  he  had  evidently  been  removing  similar  stains  from 
his  hands.  Putting  his  gun  aside  and  grasping  my  hand 
warmly  without  rising,  he  began,  with  even  more  than  his 
usual  lazy  imperturbability  :  — 

"  Well,  how  's  Gilead  lookin'  to-day  ?  " 

It  struck  me  as  looking  rather  disturbed,  but,  as  I  was 
still  too  bewildered  to  reply,  he  continued  lazily  :  — 

"  Ez  you  did  n't  hunt  me  up,  I  allowed  you  might  hev 
got  kinder  petrified  and  dried  up  down  yer,  and  I  reckoned 
to  run  down  and  rattle  round  a  bit  and  make  things  lively 


CAPTAIN  JIM'S  FRIEND  385 

for  ye.  I  've  jist  cleared  out  a  newspaper  office  over  thar. 
They  call  it  the  '  Guar-di-an,'  though  it  did  n't  seem  to 
offer  much  pertection  to  them  fellers  ez  was  in  it.  In  fact, 
it  was  n't  ez  much  a  fight  ez  it  orter  hev  been.  It  was 
rather  monotonous  for  me." 

"  But  what  'B  the  row,  Bill  ?  What  has  happened  ?  "  I 
asked  excitedly. 

"Nothin'  to  speak  of,  I  tell  ye,"  replied  Yuba  Bill 
reflectively.  "  I  jest  meandered  into  that  shop  over  there, 
and  I  sez,  '  I  want  ter  see  the  man  ez  runs  this  yer  mill  o' 
literatoor  an'  progress.'  Thar  waz  two  infants  sittin'  on 
high  chairs  havin'  some  innocent  little  game  o'  pickin' 
pieces  o'  lead  outer  pill-boxes  like,  and  as  soon  ez  they  seed 
me  one  of  'em  crawled  under  his  desk  and  the  other  scooted 
outer  the  back  door.  Bimeby  the  door  opens  again,  and  a 
fluffy  coyote-lookin'  feller  comes  in  and  allows  that  he  is 
responsible  for  that  yer  paper.  When  I  saw  the  kind  of  ani- 
mal he  was,  and  that  he  had  n't  any  weppings,  I  jist  laid  the 
Left  Bower  down  on  the  floor.  Then  I  sez,  '  You  allowed 
in  your  paper  that  I  oughter  hev  a  little  sevility  knocked 
inter  me,  and  I  'm  here  to  hev  it  done.  You  ken  begin  it 
now.'  With  that  I  reached  for  him,  and  we  waltzed  oncet 
or  twicet  around  the  room,  and  then  I  put  him  up  on  the 
mantelpiece  and  on  them  desks  and  little  boxes,  and  took 
him  down  again,  and  kinder  wiped  the  floor  with  him  gin- 
'rally,  until  the  first  thing  I  knowed  he  was  outside  the 
winder  on  the  sidewalk.  On'y  blamed  if  I  did  n't  forget 
to  open  the  winder.  Ef  it  had  n't  been  for  that,  it  would 
hev  been  all  quiet  and  peaceful-like,  and  nobody  hev 
knowed  it.  But  the  sash  being  in  the  way,  it  sorter  created 
a  disturbance  and  unpleasantness  outside." 

11  But  what  was  it  all  about  ?  "  I  repeated.  "  What 
had  he  done  to  you  ?  " 

"  Ye  '11  find  it  in  that  paper,"  he  said,  indicating  a  copy  of 
the  "  Guardian  "  that  lay  on  my  table,  with  a  lazy  nod  of  his 


386  CAPTAIN  JIM'S  FRIEND 

head.  "  PVaps  you  don't  read  it  ?  No  more  do  I.  But 
Joe  Bilson  sez  to  me  yesterday  :  '  Bill,'  sez  he,  '  they  're 
goin'  for  ye  in  the  "Guardian."'  'Wot's  that?'  sez  I. 
'  Hark  to  this,'  sez  he,  and  reads  out  that  bit  that  you  '11 
find  there." 

I  had  opened  the  paper,  and  he  pointed  to  a  paragraph. 
"  There  it  is.  Pooty,  ain't  it  ?  "  I  read  with  amazement 
as  follows  :  — 

"  If  the  Pioneer  Stage  Company  want  to  keep  up  with 
the  times,  and  not  degenerate  into  the  old  style  '  one  horse ' 
road-wagon  business,  they  'd  better  make  some  reform  on 
the  line.  They  might  begin  by  shipping  off  some  of  the 
old-time  whiskey-guzzling  drivers  who  are  too  high  and 
mighty  to  do  anything  but  handle  the  ribbons,  and  are 
above  speaking  to  a  passenger  unless  he 's  a  favorite  or  one 
of  their  set.  Overpraise  for  an  occasional  scrimmage  with 
road  agents  and  flattery  from  Eastern  greenhorns  have  given 
them  the  big  head.  If  the  fool-killer  were  let  loose  on 
the  line  with  a  big  club,  and  knocked  a  little  civility  into 
their  heads,  it  would  n't  be  a  bad  thing,  and  would  be  a 
particular  relief  to  the  passengers  for  Gilead  who  have  to 
take  the  stage  from  Simpson's  Bar." 

"  That 's  my  stage,"  said  Yuba  Bill  quietly,  when  I  had 
ended  ;  "  and  that 's  me." 

"  But  it 's  impossible,"  I  said  eagerly.  "  That  insult 
was  never  written  by  Captain  Jim." 

"  Captain  Jim,"  repeated  Yuba  Bill  reflectively.  "  Cap- 
tain Jim,  —  yes,  that  was  the  name  o'  the  man  I  was  playin' 
with.  Shortish  hairy  feller,  suthin'  between  a  big  coyote 
and  the  old-style  hair-trunk.  Fought  pretty  well  for  a  hay- 
footed  man  from  Gil-e-ad." 

"  But  you  've  whipped  the  wrong  man,  Bill,"  I  said. 
"  Think  again  !  Have  you  had  any  quarrel  lately  ?  —  run 
against  any  newspaper  man  ?  "  The  recollection  had  flashed 
upon  me  that  Lacy  Bassett  had  lately  returned  from  a 
visit  to  Stockton. 


CAPTAIN   JIM'S  FKIEND  387 

Yuba  Bill  regarded  his  boots  on  the  other  armchair  for 
a  few  moments  in  profound  meditation.  "  There  was  a 
sort  o'  gaudy  insect/'  he  began  presently,  "  suthin'  half- 
way betwixt  a  hoss-fly  and  a  devil's  darnin' -needle,  ez 
crawled  up  onter  the  box  seat  with  me  last  week,  and 
buzzed !  Now  I  think  on  it,  he  talked  highfaluten'  o'  the 
inflooence  of  the  press  and  sech.  I  may  hev  said  '  shoo '  to 
him  when  he  was  hummin'  the  loudest.  I  mout  hev 
flicked  him  off  oncet  or  twicet  with  my  whip.  It  must  be 
him.  Gosh  !  "  he  said  suddenly,  rising  and  lifting  his  heavy 
hand  to  his  forehead,  "now  I  think  agin,  he  was  the  feller 
ez  crawled  under  the  desk  when  the  fight  was  goin'  on, 
and  stayed  there.  Yes,  sir,  that  was  him.  His  face 
looked  sorter  familiar,  but  I  didn't  know  him  moultuV 
with  his  feathers  off."  He  turned  upon  me  with  the  first 
expression  of  trouble  and  anxiety  I  had  ever  seen  him 
wear.  "  Yes,  sir,  that 's  him.  And  I  've  kem  —  me, 
Yuba  Bill !  —  kem  myself,  a  matter  of  twenty  miles,  totin' 
a  gun  —  a  gun,  by  Gosh  !  —  to  fight  that  —  that  —  that 
potatar-bug  I  "  He  walked  to  the  window,  turned,  walked 
back  again,  finished  his  whiskey  with  a  single  gulp,  and  laid 
his  hand  almost  despondingly  on  my  shoulder.  "  Look  ye, 
old  —  old  fell,  you  and  me  's  ole  friends.  Don't  give  me 
away.  Don't  let  on  a  word  o'  this  to  any  one  !  Say  I  kem 
down  yer  howlin'  drunk  on  a  gen'ral  tear !  Say  I  mistook 
that  newspaper  office  for  a  cigar-shop,  and  —  got  licked  by 
the  boss !  Say  anythin'  you  like,  'cept  that  I  took  a  gun 
down  yer  to  chase  a  fly  that  had  settled  onter  me.  Keep  the 
Left  Bower  in  yer  back  office  till  I  send  for  it.  Ef  you  've 
got  a  back  door  somewhere  handy,  where  I  can  slip  outer 
this  without  bein'  seen,  I  'd  be  thankful." 

As  this  desponding  suggestion  appeared  to  me  as  the 
wisest  thing  for  him  to  do  in  the  then  threatening  state  of 
affairs  outside,  —  which,  had  he  suspected  it,  he  would  have 
stayed  to  face,  —  I  quickly  opened  a  door  into  a  courtyard 


388  CAPTAIN   JIM'S  FRIEND 

that  communicated  through  an  alley  with  a  side  street. 
Here  we  shook  hands  and  parted ;  his  last  dejected  ejacula- 
tion being,  "  That  potatar-bug !  "  Later  I  ascertained  that 
Captain  Jim  had  retired  to  his  ranch  some  four  miles  distant. 
He  was  not  seriously  hurt,  but  looked,  to  use  the  words  of 
my  informant,  "  ez  ef  he  'd  been  hugged  by  a  playful  b'ar." 
As  the  "  Guardian  "  made  its  appearance  the  next  week 
without  the  slightest  allusion  to  the  fracas,  I  did  not  deem 
it  necessary  to  divulge  the  real  facts.  When  I  called  to 
inquire  about  Captain  Jim's  condition,  he  himself,  however, 
volunteered  an  explanation. 

"I  don't  mind  tellin'  you,  ez  an  old  friend  o'  mine  and 
Lacy's,  that  the  secret  of  that  there  attack  on  me  and  the 
1  Guardian ?  was  perlitikal.  Yes,  sir  !  There  was  a  power- 
ful orginization  in  the  interest  o'  Halkins  for  assemblyman 
ez  did  n't  like  our  high-toned  editorials  on  caucus  corrup- 
tion, and  hired  a  bully  to  kem  down  here  and  suppress  us. 
Why,  this  yer  Lacy  spotted  the  idea  to  oncet ;  yer  know 
how  keen  he  is." 

"  Was  Lacy  present  ?  "  I  asked  as  carelessly  as  I  could. 

Captain  Jim  glanced  his  eyes  over  his  shoulder  quite  in 
his  old  furtive  canine  fashion,  and  then  blinked  them  at 
me  rapidly.  "  He  war  !  And  if  it  warn't  for  his  pluck 
and  his  science  and  his  strength,  I  don't  know  whar  I'd 
hev  been  now  !  Howsomever,  it 's  all  right.  I  've  had  a 
fair  offer  to  sell  the  '  Guardian '  over  at  Simpson's  Bar,  and 
it's  time  I  quit  throwin'  away  the  work  of  a  man  like 
Lacy  Bassett  upon  it.  And  between  you  and  me,  I  've  got 
an  idea  and  suthin'  better  to  put  his  talens  into." 


ni 

IT  was  not  long  before  it  became  evident  that  the  "  talens  " 
of  Mr.  Lacy  Bassett,  as  indicated  by  Captain  Jim,  were  to 
grasp  at  a  seat  in  the  State  legislature.  An  editorial  in  the 
"  Simpson's  Bar  Clarion  "  boldly  advocated  his  pretensions. 
At  first  it  was  believed  that  the  article  emanated  from  the 
gifted  pen  of  Lacy  himself,  but  the  style  was  so  unmistak- 
ably that  of  Colonel  Starbottle,  an  eminent  political  "  war- 
horse  "  of  the  district,  that  a  graver  truth  was  at  once  sug- 
gested, namely,  that  the  "  Guardian "  had  simply  been 
transferred  to  Simpson's  Bar,  and  merged  into  the  " Clarion" 
solely  on  this  condition.  At  least  it  was  recognized  that  it 
was  the  hand  of  Captain  Jim  which  guided  the  editorial 
fingers  of  the  colonel,  and  Captain  Jim's  money  that  dis- 
tended the  pockets  of  that  gallant  political  leader. 

Howbeit  Lacy  Bassett  was  never  elected ;  in  fact,  he  was 
only  for  one  brief  moment  a  candidate.  It  was  related  that 
upon  his  first  ascending  the  platform  at  Simpson's  Bar  a 
voice  in  the  audience  said  lazily,  "Come  down!"  That 
voice  was  Yuba  Bill's.  A  slight  confusion  ensued,  in  which 
Yuba  Bill  whispered  a  few  words  in  the  colonel's  ear. 
After  a  moment's  hesitation  the  "  war-horse  "  came  forward, 
and  in  his  loftiest  manner  regretted  that  the  candidate  had 
withdrawn.  The  next  issue  of  the  "  Clarion  "  proclaimed 
with  no  uncertain  sound  that  a  base  conspiracy  gotten  up  by 
the  former  proprietor  of  the  "  Guardian  "  to  undermine  the 
prestige  of  the  Great  Express  Company  had  been  ruthlessly 
exposed,  and  the  candidate,  on  learning  it  himself  for  the 
first  time,  withdrew  his  name  from  the  canvass,  as  became 


390  CAPTAIN   JIM'S   FRIEND 

a  high-toned  gentleman.  Public  opinion3  ignoring  Lacy 
Bassett  completely,  unhesitatingly  denounced  Captain  Jim. 
During  this  period  I  had  paid  but  little  heed  to  Lacy 
Bassett's  social  movements,  or  the  successes  which  would 
naturally  attend  such  a  character  with  the  susceptible  sex. 
I  had  heard  that  he  was  engaged  to  Polly  Baxter,  but  that 
they  had  quarreled  in  consequence  of  his  flirtations  with 
others,  especially  a  Mrs.  Sweeny,  a  profusely  ornamented  but 
reputationless  widow.  Captain  Jim  had  often  alluded  with 
a  certain  respectful  pride  and  delicacy  to  Polly's  ardent 
appreciation  of  his  friend,  and  had  more  than  half  hinted 
with  the  same  reverential  mystery  to  their  matrimonial  union 
later,  and  his  intention  of  "  doing  the  square  thing  "  for  the 
young  couple.  But  it  was  presently  noticed  that  these  allu- 
sions became  less  frequent  during  Lacy's  amorous  aberrations, 
and  an  occasional  depression  and  unusual  reticence  marked 
Captain  Jim's  manner  when  the  subject  was  discussed  in  his 
presence.  He  seemed  to  endeavor  to  make  up  for  his  friend's 
defection  by  a  kind  of  personal  homage  to  Polly,  and  not 
unfrequently  accompanied  her  to  church  or  to  singing-class. 
I  have  a  vivid  recollection  of  meeting  him  one  afternoon 
crossing  the  fields  with  her,  and  looking  into  her  face  with 
that  same  wistful,  absorbed,  and  uneasy  canine  expression 
that  I  had  hitherto  supposed  he  had  reserved  for  Lacy  alone. 
I  do  not  know  whether  Polly  was  averse  to  the  speechless 
devotion  of  these  yearning  brown  eyes ;  her  manner  was 
animated,  and  the  pretty  cheek  that  was  nearest  me  mantled 
as  I  passed  ;  but  I  was  struck  for  the  first  time  with  the 
idea  that  Captain  Jim  loved  her !  I  was  surprised  to  have 
that  fancy  corroborated  in  the  remark  of  another  wayfarer 
whom  I  met,  to  the  effect,  "  That  now  that  Bassett  was  out 
o'  the  running  it  looked  ez  if  Captain  Jim  was  makin'  up 
for  time  !  "  Was  it  possible  that  Captain  Jim  had  always 
loved  her  ?  I  did  not  at  first  know  whether  to  be  pained 
or  pleased  for  his  sake.  But  I  concluded  that  whether  the 


CAPTAIN  JIM'S  FRIEND  391 

unworthy  Bassett  had  at  last  found  a  rival  in  Captain  Jim 
or  in  the  girl  herself,  it  was  a  displacement  that  was  for  Cap- 
tain Jim's  welfare.  But  as  I  was  about  leaving  Gilead  for  a 
month's  transfer  to  the  San  Francisco  office,  I  had  no  oppor- 
tunity to  learn  more  from  the  confidences  of  Captain  Jim. 

I  was  ascending  the  principal  staircase  of  my  San  Fran- 
cisco hotel  one  rainy  afternoon,  when  I  was  pointedly  re- 
called to  Gilead  by  the  passing  glitter  of  Mrs.  Sweeny's 
jewelry  and  the  sudden  vanishing  behind  her  of  a  gentleman 
who  seemed  to  be  accompanying  her.  A  few  moments 
after  I  had  entered  my  room  I  heard  a  tap  at  my  door,  and 
opened  it  upon  Lacy  Bassett.  I  thought  he  looked  a  little 
confused  and  agitated.  Nevertheless,  with  an  assumption 
of  cordiality  and  ease  he  said,  "It  appears  we're  neigh- 
bors. That's  my  room  next  to  yours."  He  pointed  to 
the  next  room,  which  I  then  remembered  was  a  sitting-room 
en  suite  with  my  own,  and  communicating  with  it  by  a 
second  door,  which  was  always  locked.  It  had  not  been 
occupied  since  my  tenancy.  As  I  suppose  my  face  did  not 
show  any  extravagant  delight  at  the  news  of  his  contiguity, 
he  added  hastily,  "  There  's  a  transom  over  the  door,  and 
I  thought  I  'd  tell  you  you  kin  hear  everything  from  the 
one  room  to  the  other." 

I  thanked  him,  and  told  him  dryly  that,  as  I  had  no  se- 
crets to  divulge  and  none  that  I  cared  to  hear,  it  made  no 
difference  to  me.  As  this  seemed  to  increase  his  confusion 
and  he  still  hesitated  before  the  door,  I  asked  him  if  Cap- 
tain Jiin  was  with  him. 

"  No,"  he  said  quickly.  "  I  have  n't  seen  him  for  a 
month,  and  don't  want  to.  Look  here,  I  want  to  talk  to 
you  a  bit  about  him."  He  walked  into  the  room,  and 
closed  the  door  behind  him.  "  I  want  to  tell  you  that  me 
and  Captain  Jim  is  played  !  All  this  runnin'  o'  me  and 
interferin'  with  me  is  played  !  I  'm  tired  of  it.  You  kin 
tell  him  so  from  me." 


392 

"  Then  you  have  quarreled  ?  " 

"  Yes.  As  much  as  any  man  can  quarrel  with  a  darned 
fool  who  can't  take  a  hint." 

"  One  moment.  Have  you  quarreled  about  Polly  Bax- 
ter ?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  answered  querulously.  "  Of  course  I  have. 
What  does  he  mean  by  interfering  ?  " 

"  Now  listen  to  me,  Mr.  Bassett,"  I  interrupted.  "  I 
have  no  desire  to  concern  myself  in  your  association  with 
Captain  Jim,  but  since  you  persist  in  dragging  me  unto  it, 
you  must  allow  me  to  speak  plainly.  From  all  that  I  can 
ascertain  you  have  no  serious  intentions  of  marrying  Polly 
Baxter.  You  have  come  here  from  Gilead  to  follow  Mrs. 
Sweeny,  whom  I  saw  you  with  a  moment  ago.  Now,  why 
do  you  not  frankly  give  up  Miss  Baxter  to  Captain  Jim, 
who  will  make  her  a  good  husband,  and  go  your  own  way 
with  Mrs.  Sweeny  ?  If  you  really  wish  to  break  off  your 
connection  with  Captain  Jim,  that 's  the  only  way  to  do 
it." 

His  face,  which  had  exhibited  the  weakest  and  most  piti- 
able consciousness  at  the  mention  of  Mrs.  Sweeny,  changed 
to  an  expression  of  absolute  stupefaction  as  I  concluded. 

"  Wot  stuff  are  you  tryin'  to  fool  me  with  ?  "  he  said  at 
last  roughly. 

"  I  mean,"  I  replied  sharply,  "  that  this  double  game  of 
yours  is  disgraceful.  Your  association  with  Mrs.  Sweeny 
demands  the  withdrawal  of  any  claim  you  have  upon  Miss 
Baxter  at  once.  If  you  have  no  respect  for  Captain  Jim's 
friendship,  you  must  at  least  show  common  decency  to 
her." 

He  burst  into  a  half -relieved,  half -hysteric  laugh.  "  Are 
you  crazy  ?  "  gasped  he.  "  Why,  Captain  Jim 's  just  hunt- 
in'  me  down  to  make  me  marry  Polly.  That  's  just  what 
the  row  7s  about.  That  's  just  what  he  's  interferin'  for  — 
just  to  carry  out  his  darned  fool  ideas  o'  gettin'  a  wife  for 


CAPTAIN   JIM'S  FRIEND  393 

me ;  just  his  vanity  to  say  he  's  made  the  match.  It's  me 
that  he  wants  to  marry  to  that  Baxter  girl,  —  not  himself. 
He  Js  too  cursed  selfish  for  that." 

I  suppose  I  was  not  different  from  ordinary  humanity, 
for  in  my  unexpected  discomfiture  I  despised  Captain  Jim 
quite  as  much  as  I  did  the  man  before  me.  Reiterating  my 
remark  that  I  had  no  desire  to  mix  myself  further  in  their 
quarrels,  I  got  rid  of  him  with  as  little  ceremony  as  possible. 
But  a  few  minutes  later,  when  the  farcical  side  of  the  situa- 
tion struck  me,  my  irritation  was  somewhat  mollified,  with- 
out however  increasing  my  respect  for  either  of  the  actors. 
The  whole  affair  had  assumed  a  triviality  that  was  simply 
amusing,  nothing  more,  and  I  even  looked  forward  to  a 
meeting  with  Captain  Jim  and  his  exposition  of  the  matter 
—  which  I  knew  would  follow  —  with  pleasurable  anticipa- 
tion. But  I  was  mistaken. 

One  afternoon,  when  I  was  watching  the  slanting  volleys  of 
rain  driven  by  a  strong  southwester  against  the  windows  of 
the  hotel  reading-room,  I  was  struck  by  the  erratic  movements 
of  a  dripping  figure  outside  that  seemed  to  be  hesitating 
over  the  entrance  to  the  hotel.  At  times  furtively  penetrat- 
ing the  porch  as  far  as  the  vestibule,  and  again  shyly  recoil- 
ing from  it,  its  manner  was  so  strongly  suggestive  of  some 
timid  animal  that  I  found  myself  suddenly  reminded  of 
Captain  Jim  and  the  memorable  evening  of  his  exodus  from 
Eureka  Gulch.  As  the  figure  chanced  to  glance  up  to  the 
window  where  I  stood  I  saw  to  my  astonishment  that  it  was 
Captain  Jim  himself,  but  so  changed  and  haggard  that  I 
scarcely  knew  him.  I  instantly  ran  out  into  the  hall  and 
vestibule,  but  when  I  reached  the  porch  he  had  disappeared. 
Either  he  had  seen  me  and  wished  to  avoid  me,  or  he  had 
encountered  the  object  of  his  quest,  which  I  at  once  con- 
cluded must  be  Lacy  Bassett.  I  was  so  much  impressed 
and  worried  by  his  appearance  and  manner,  that  in  this  be- 
lief, I  overcame  my  aversion  to  meeting  Bassett,  and  even 


394  CAPTAIN  JIM'S  FRIEND 

sought  him  through  the  public  room  and  lobbies  in  the  hope 
of  finding  Captain  Jim  with  him.  But  in  vain ;  possibly 
he  had  succeeded  in  escaping  his  relentless  friend. 

As  the  wind  and  rain  increased  at  nightfall  and  grew  into 
a  tempestuous  night,  with  deserted  streets  and  swollen 
waterways,  I  did  not  go  out  again,  but  retired  early,  inex- 
plicably haunted  by  the  changed  and  brooding  face  of 
Captain  Jim.  Even  in  my  dreams  he  pursued  me  in  his 
favorite  likeness  of  a  wistful,  anxious,  and  uneasy  hound, 
who,  on  my  turning  to  caress  him  familiarly,  snapped  at  me 
viciously,  and  appeared  to  have  suddenly  developed  a  snarl- 
ing rabid  fury.  I  seemed  to  be  awakened  at  last  by  the 
sound  of  his  voico.  For  an  instant  I  believed  the  delusion 
a  part  of  my  dream.  But  I  was  mistaken ;  I  was  lying 
broad  awake,  and  the  voice  clearly  had  come  from  the  next 
room,  and  was  distinctly  audible  over  the  transom. 

"  I  've  had  enough  of  it,"  he  said,  "and  I  'm  givin'  ye 
now  —  this  night  —  yer  last  chance.  Quit  this  hotel  and 
that  woman,  and  go  back  to  Gilead  and  marry  Polly.  Don't 
do  it  and  I  '11  kill  ye,  ez  sure  ez  you  sit  there  gapin'  in  that 
chair.  If  I  can't  get  ye  to  fight  mo  like  a  man,  —  and  I  '11 
spit  in  yer  face  or  put  some  insult  onto  you  afore  that  wo- 
man, afore  everybody,  ez  would  make  a  bigger  skunk  nor 
you  turn,  —  I  '11  hunt  ye  down  and  kill  ye  in  your  tracks." 

There  was  a  querulous  murmur  of  interruption  in  Lacy's 
voice,  but  whether  of  defiance  or  appeal  I  could  not  distin- 
guish. Captain  Jim's  voice  again  rose,  dogged  and  distinct. 

"  Ef  you  kill  me  it 's  all  the  same,  and  I  don't  say  that 
I  won't  thank  ye.  This  yer  world  is  too  crowded  for  yer 
and  me,  Lacy  Bassett.  I  've  believed  in  ye,  trusted  in  ye, 
lied  for  ye,  and  fought  for  ye.  From  the  time  I  took  ye 
up  —  a  feller-passenger  to  'Fresco  —  believin'  there  wor  the 
makin's  of  a  man  in  ye,  to  now,  you  fooled  me,  —  fooled 
me  afore  the  Eureka  boys  ;  fooled  me  afore  Gilead  ;  fooled 
me  afore  her  ;  fooled  me  afore  God  !  It 's  got  to  end  herec 


CAPTAIN   JIM'S  FRIEND  395 

Ye  've  got  to  take  the  curse  of  that  foolishness  off  o'  me  ! 
You  've  got  to  do  one  single  thing  that  's  like  the  man  I 
took  ye  for,  or  you  've  got  to  die.  Times  waz  when  I  'd 
have  wished  it  for  your  account  —  that  's  gone,  Lacy  Bas- 
sett !  You  've  got  to  do  it  for  me.  You've  got  to  do  it  so 
I  don't  see  '  d  —  d  fool '  writ  in  the  eyes  of  every  man  ez 
looks  at  me." 

He  had  apparently  risen  and  walked  towards  the  door. 
His  voice  sounded  from  another  part  of  the  room. 

"  I  '11  give  ye  till  to-morrow  mornin'  to  do  suthin'  to  lift 
this  curse  off  o'  me.  Ef  you  refoose,  then,  by  the  living 
God,  I  '11  slap  yer  face  in  the  dinin'-room,  or  in  the  office 
afore  them  all !  You  hear  me  !  " 

There  was  a  pause,  and  then  a  quick  sharp  explosion  that 
seemed  to  fill  and  expand  both  rooms  until  the  windows 
were  almost  lifted  from  their  casements,  a  hysterical  inartic- 
ulate cry  from  Lacy,  the  violent  opening  of  a  door,  hurried 
voices,  and  the  tramping  of  many  feet  in  the  passage.  I 
sprang  out  of  bed,  partly  dressed  myself,  and  ran  into  the 
hall.  But  by  that  time  I  found  a  crowd  of  guests  and 
servants  around  the  next  door,  some  grasping  Bassett,  who 
was  white  and  trembling,  and  others  kneeling  by  Captain 
Jim,  who  was  half  lying  in  the  doorway  against  the  wall. 

"  He  heard  it  all,"  Bassett  gasped  hysterically,  pointing 
to  me.  "  He  knows  that  this  man  wanted  to  kill  me." 

Before  I  could  reply,  Captain  Jim  partly  raised  himself 
with  a  convulsive  effort.  Wiping  away  the  blood  that, 
oozing  from  his  lips,  already  showed  the  desperate  character 
of  his  internal  wound,  he  said  in  a  husky  and  hurried  voice : 
"  It 's  all  right,  boys  !  It 's  my  fault.  It  was  m-e  who  done 
it.  I  went  for  him  in  a  mean  underhanded  way  just  now, 
when  he  had  n't  a  wTeppin  nor  any  show  to  defend  himself. 
We  gripped.  He  got  a  holt  o'  my  derringer  —  you  see  that 's 
fmy  pistol  there,  I  swear  it  —  and  turned  it  agin  me  in  self- 
defense,  and  sarved  me  right.  I  swear  to  God,  gentlemen, 


396  CAPTAIN   JIM'S   FRIEND 

it 's  so !  "  Catching  sight  of  my  face,  he  looked  at  me,  I 
fancied  half  imploringly  and  half  triumphantly,  and  added, 
"  I  might  hev  knowed  it !  I  allers  allowed  Lacy  Bassett 
was  game  !  —  game,  gentlemen  —  and  he  was.  If  it 's  my 
last  word,  I  say  it  —  he  was  game  !  " 

And  with  this  devoted  falsehood  upon  his  lips  and  some- 
thing of  the  old  canine  instinct  in  his  failing  heart,  as  his 
head  sank  back  he  seemed  to  turn  it  towards  Bassett,  as  if 
to  stretch  himself  out  at  his  feet.  Then  the  light  failed 
from  his  yearning  upward  glance,  and  the  curse  of  foolish- 
ness was  lifted  from  him  forever. 

So  conclusive  were  the  facts,  that  the  coroner's  jury  did 
not  deem  it  necessary  to  detain  Mr.  Bassett  for  a  single 
moment  after  the  inquest.  But  he  returned  to  Gilead, 
married  Polly  Baxter,  and  probably  on  the  strength  of  hav- 
ing "  killed  his  man,"  was  unopposed  on  the  platform  next 
year,  and  triumphantly  elected  to  the  legislature ! 


THE  HEEITAGE  OF  DEDLOW  MARSH 
I 

THE  sun  was  going  down  on  the  Dedlow  Marshes.  The 
tide  was  following  it  fast  as  if  to  meet  the  reddening  lines 
of  sky  and  water  in  the  west,  leaving  the  foreground  to 
grow  blacker  and  blacker  every  moment,  and  to  bring  out 
in  startling  contrast  the  few  half-filled  and  half-lit  pools 
left  behind  and  forgotten.  The  strong  breath  of  the  Pacific 
fanning  their  surfaces  at  times  kindled  them  into  a  dull 
glow  like  dying  embers.  A  cloud  of  sandpipers  rose  white 
from  one  of  the  nearer  lagoons,  swept  in  a  long  eddying 
ring  against  the  sunset,  and  became  a  black  and  dropping 
rain  to  seaward.  The  long  sinuous  line  of  channel,  fading 
with  the  light  and  ebbing  with  the  tide,  began  to  give  off 
here  and  there  light  puffs  of  gray-winged  birds  like  sudden 
exhalations.  High  in  the  darkening  sky  the  long  arrow- 
headed  lines  of  geese  and  "  brant "  pointed  towards  the 
upland.  As  the  light  grew  more  uncertain  the  air  at  times 
was  filled  with  the  rush  of  viewless  and  melancholy  wings, 
or  became  plaintive  with  far-off  cries  and  lamentations. 
As  the  Marsh  grew  blacker  the  far-scattered  tussocks  and 
accretions  on  its  level  surface  began  to  loom  in  exaggerated 
outline,  and  two  human  figures,  suddenly  emerging  erect  on 
the  bank  of  the  hidden  channel,  assumed  the  proportion  of 
giants. 

When  they  had  moored  their  unseen  boat,  they  still  ap- 
peared for  some  moments  to  be  moving  vaguely  and  aim- 
lessly round  the  spot  where  they  had  disembarked.  But  as 


398  THE  HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MARSH 

the  eye  became  familiar  with  the  darkness  it  was  seen  that 
they  were  really  advancing  inland,  yet  with  a  slowness  of 
progression  and  deviousness  of  course  that  appeared  inex- 
plicable to  the  distant  spectator.  Presently  it  was  evident 
that  this  seemingly  even,  vast,  black  expanse  was  traversed 
and  intersected  by  inky  creeks  and  small  channels,  which 
made  human  progression  difficult  and  dangerous.  As  they 
appeared  nearer  and  their  figures  took  more  natural  propor- 
tions, it  could  be  seen  that  each  carried  a  gun  ;  that  one 
was  a  young  girl,  although  dressed  so  like  her  companion  in 
shaggy  pea-jacket  and  sou'wester  as  to  be  scarcely  distin- 
guished from  him  above  the  short  skirt  that  came  halfway 
down  her  high  india-rubber  fishing-boots.  By  the  time 
they  had  reached  firmer  ground,  and  turned  to  look  back  at 
the  sunset,  it  could  be  also  seen  that  the  likeness  between 
their  faces  was  remarkable.  Both  had  crisp,  black,  tightly 
curling  hair ;  both  had  dark  eyes  and  heavy  eyebrows  ; 
both  had  quick  vivid  complexions,  slightly  heightened  by 
the  sea  and  wind.  But  more  striking  than  their  similarity 
of  coloring  was  the  likeness  of  expression  and  bearing. 
Both  wore  the  same  air  of  picturesque  energy ;  both  bore 
themselves  with  a  like  graceful  effrontery  and  self-posses- 
sion. 

The  young  man  continued  his  way.  The  young  girl 
lingered  for  a  moment  looking  seaward,  with  her  small 
brown  hand  lifted  to  shade  her  eyes,  —  a  precaution  which 
her  heavy  eyebrows  and  long  lashes  seemed  to  render  utterly 
gratuitous. 

"  Come  along,  Mag.  What  are  ye  waitin7  for  ?  "  said 
the  young  man  impatiently. 

"  Nothin'.  Lookin'  at  that  boat  from  the  Fort."  Her 
clear  eyes  were  watching  a  small  skiff,  invisible  to  less  keen- 
sighted  observers,  aground  upon  a  flat  near  the  mouth  of  the 
channel.  "  Them  chaps  will  have  a  high  ole  time  gunnin' 
thar,  stuck  in  the  mud,  and  the  tide  goin'  out  like  sixty ! " 


THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MARSH  399 

"  Never  you  mind  the  sodgers,"  returned  her  companion 
aggressively,  "  they  kin  take  care  o'  their  own  precious 
skins,  or  Uncle  Sam  will  do  it  for  'em,  I  reckon.  Anyhow 
the  people  —  that 's  you  and  me,  Mag —  is  expected  to  pay 
for  their  foolishness.  That 's  what  they  're  sent  yer  for. 
Ye  oughter  to  be  satisfied  with  that/7  he  added,  with  deep 
sarcasm. 

"  I  reckon  they  ain't  expected  to  do  much  off  o'  dry 
land,  and  they  can't  help  bein'  queer  on  the  water,"  re- 
turned the  young  girl,  with  a  reflecting  sense  of  justice. 

"Then  they  ain't  no  call  to  go  gunnin',  and  wastin' 
Guv'nment  powder  on  ducks  instead  o'  Injins." 

"  Thet  's  so,"  said  the  girl  thoughtfully.  "  Wonder  ef 
Guv'nment  pays  for  them  frocks  the  Kernel's  girls  went 
cavortin'  round  Logport  in  last  Sunday  —  they  looked  like 
a  cirkis." 

"  Like  ez  not  the  old  Kernel  gets  it  outer  contracts  — 
one  way  or  another.  We  pay  for  it  all  the  same,"  he  added 
gloomily. 

"  Jest  the  same  ez  if  they  were  my  clothes,"  said  the 
girl,  with  a  quick,  fiery,  little  laugh,  "  ain't  it  ?  Wonder 
how  they  'd  like  my  sayin'  that  to  'em  when  they  was 
prancin'  round,  eh,  Jim  ? " 

But  her  companion  was  evidently  unprepared  for  this 
sweeping  feminine  deduction,  and  stopped  it  with  masculine 
promptitude. 

"  Look  yer  —  instead  o'  botherin'  your  head  about  what 
the  Fort  girls  wear,  you  'd  better  trot  along  a  little  more 
lively.  It 's  late  enough  now." 

"  But  these  darned  boots  hurt  like  pizen,"  said  the  girl, 
limping.  "  They  swallowed  a  lot  o'  water  over  the  tops 
while  I  was  wadin'  down  there,  and  my  feet  go  swashin' 
around  like  in  a  churn  every  step." 

"  Lean  on  me,  baby,"  he  returned,  passing  his  arm 
around  her  waist,  and  dropping  her  head  smartly  on  his 


400  THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW   MARSH 

shoulder.  "  Thar  !  "  The  act  was  brotherly  and  slightly 
contemptuous,  but  it  was  sufficient  to  at  once  establish  their 
kinship. 

They  continued  on  thus  for  some  moments  in  silence,  the 
girl,  I  fear,  after  the  fashion  of  her  sex,  taking  the  fullest 
advantage  of  this  slightly  sentimental  and  caressing  attitude. 
They  were  moving  now  along  the  edge  of  the  Marsh, 
parallel  with  the  line  of  rapidly  fading  horizon,  following 
some  trail  only  known  to  their  keen  youthful  eyes.  It  was 
growing  darker  and  darker.  The  cries  of  the  sea-birds  had 
ceased ;  even  the  call  of  a  belated  plover  had  died  away  in- 
land ;  the  hush  of  death  lay  over  the  black  funereal  pall  of 
marsh  at  their  side.  The  tide  had  run  out  with  the  day. 
Even  the  sea-breeze  had  lulled  in  this  dead  slack-water  of 
all  nature,  as  if  waiting  outside  the  bar  with  the  ocean,  the 
stars,  and  the  night. 

Suddenly  the  girl  stopped  and  halted  her  companion. 
The  faint  far  sound  of  a  bugle  broke  the  silence,  if  the  idea 
of  interruption  could  have  been  conveyed  by  the  two  or 
three  exquisite  vibrations  that  seemed  born  of  that  silence 
itself,  and  to  fade  and  die  in  it  without  break  or  discord. 
Yet  it  was  only  the  "  retreat  "  call  from  the  Fort  two  miles 
distant  and  invisible. 

The  young  girl's  face  had  become  irradiated,  and  her 
small  mouth  half  opened  as  she  listened.  "  Do  you  know, 
Jim/'  she  said,  with  a  confidential  sigh,  "  I  allus  put  words 
to  that  when  I  hear  it  —  it 's  so  pow'ful  pretty.  It  allus 
goes  to  me  like  this :  l  Goes  the  day,  Far  away,  With  the 
light,  And  the  night  Comes  along  —  Comes  along  —  Comes 
along  —  Like  a-a  so-o-ong.'75  She  here  lifted  her  voice,  a 
sweet,  fresh,  boyish  contralto,  in  such  an  admirable  imita- 
tion of  the  bugle  that  her  brother,  after  the  fashion  of  more 
select  auditors,  was  for  a  moment  quite  convinced  that  the 
words  meant  something.  Nevertheless,  as  a  brother,  it  was 
his  duty  to  crush  this  weakness.  <f  Yes  j  and  it  says : 


THE  HERITAGE  OF  DEDLOW  MARSH       401 

'  Shut  your  head,  Go  to  bed,'  "  he  returned  irascibly  ;  "  and 
you  }d  better  come  along,  if  we  're  goin'  to  hev  any  supper. 
There  's  Teller  Bob  hez  got  ahead  of  us  over  there  with  the 
game  already." 

The  girl  glanced  towards  a  slouching  burdened  figure 
that  now  appeared  to  be  preceding  them,  straightened  her- 
self suddenly,  and  then  looked  attentively  towards  the 
Marsh. 

"  Not  the  sodgers  again  ?  "  said  her  brother  impatiently. 

"No,"  she  said  quickly;  "but  if  that  don't  beat  any- 
thin'  !  I  'd  hev  sworn,  Jim,  that  Teller  Bob  was  some- 
where behind  us.  I  saw  him  only  jest  now  when  '  Taps ' 
sounded,  somewhere  over  thar."  She  pointed  with  a  half- 
uneasy  expression  in  quite  another  direction  from  that  in 
which  the  slouching  Tellow  Bob  had  just  loomed. 

"  Tell  ye  what,  Mag,  makin'  poetry  outer  bugle-calls  hez 
kinder  muddled  ye.  That 's  Teller  Bob  ahead,  and  ye 
orter  know  Injins  well  enuff  by  this  time  to  remember  that 
they  allus  crop  up  jest  when  ye  don't  expect  them.  And 
there  's  the  bresh  jest  afore  us.  Come  !  " 

The  "  bresh,"  or  low  bushes,  was  really  a  line  of  stunted 
willows  and  alders  that  seemed  to  have  gradually  sunk  into 
the  level  of  the  plain,  but  increased  in  size  farther  inland, 
until  they  grew  to  the  height  and  density  of  a  wood.  Seen 
from  the  channel  it  had  the  appearance  of  a  green  cape  or 
promontory  thrust  upon  the  Marsh.  Passing  through  its 
tangled  recesses,  with  the  aid  of  some  unerring  instinct,  the 
two  companions  emerged  upon  another  and  much  larger 
level  that  seemed  as  illimitable  as  the  bay.  The  strong 
breath  of  the  ocean  lying  just  beyond  the  bar  and  estuary 
they  were  now  facing  came  to  them  salt  and  humid  as  an- 
other tide.  The  nearer  expanse  of  open  water  reflected 
the  after-glow,  and  lightened  the  landscape.  And  between 
the  two  wayfarers  and  the  horizon  rose,  bleak  and  startling, 
the  strange  outlines  of  their  home. 


402  THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW   MARSH 

At  first  it  seemed  a  ruined  colonnade  of  many  pillars, 
whose  base  and  pediment  were  buried  in  tbe  earth,  support- 
ing a  long  parallelogram  of  entablature  and  cornices.  But 
a  second  glance  showed  it  to  be  a  one-storied  building,  up- 
held above  the  Marsh  by  numberless  piles  placed  at  regular 
distances ;  some  of  them  sunken  or  inclined  from  the  per- 
pendicular, increasing  the  first  illusion.  Between  these 
pillars,  which  permitted  a  free  circulation  of  air,  and,  at 
extraordinary  tides,  even  the  waters  of  the  bay  itself,  the 
level  waste  of  marsh,  the  bay,  the  surges  of  the  bar,  and 
finally  the  red  horizon  line,  were  distinctly  visible.  A 
railed  gallery  or  platform,  supported  also  on  piles,  and 
reached  by  steps  from  the  Marsh,  ran  around  the  building, 
and  gave  access  to  the  several  rooms  and  offices. 

But  if  the  appearance  of  this  lacustrine  arid  amphibious 
dwelling  was  striking,  and  not  without  a  certain  rude  and 
massive  grandeur,  its  grounds  and  possessions,  through 
which  the  brother  and  sister  were  still  picking  their  way, 
were  even  more  grotesque  and  remarkable.  Over  a  space 
of  half  a  dozen  acres  the  flotsam  and  jetsam  of  years  of 
tidal  offerings  were  collected,  and  even  guarded  with  a  cer- 
tain care.  The  blackened  hulks  of  huge  uprooted  trees, 
scarcely  distinguishable  from  the  fragments  of  genuine 
wrecks  beside  them,  were  securely  fastened  by  chains  to 
stakes  and  piles  driven  in  the  marsh,  while  heaps  of  broken 
and  disjointed  bamboo  orange  crates,  held  together  by  ropes 
of  fibre,  glistened  like  ligamented  bones  heaped  in  the  dead 
valley.  Masts,  spars,  fragments  of  shell-encrusted  boats, 
binnacles,  round-houses  and  galleys,  and  part  of  the  after- 
deck  of  a  coasting  schooner  had  ceased  their  wanderings 
and  found  rest  in  this  vast  cemetery  of  the  sea.  The 
legend  on  a  wheel-house,  the  lettering  on  a  stern  or  bow, 
served  for  mortuary  inscription.  Wailed  over  by  the  trade- 
winds,  mourned  by  lamenting  sea-birds,  once  every  year  the 
tide  visited  its  lost  dead  and  left  them  wet  with  its  tears. 


THE  HERITAGE  OF  DEDLOW  MARSH       403 

To  such  a  spot  and  its  surroundings  the  atmosphere  of 
tradition  and  mystery  was  not  wanting.  Six  years  ago 
Boone  Culpepper  had  built  the  house,  and  brought  to  it  his 
wife  —  variously  believed  to  be  a  gypsy,  a  Mexican,  a 
bright  mulatto,  a  Digger  Indian,  a  South  Sea  princess  from 
Tahiti,  somebody  else's  wife  —  but  in  reality  a  little  Creole 
woman  from  New  Orleans,  with  whom  he  had  contracted  a 
marriage,  with  other  gambling  debts,  during  a  winter's 
vacation  from  his  home  in  Virginia.  At  the  end  of  two 
years  she  had  died,  succumbing,  as  differently  stated,  from 
perpetual  wet  feet,  or  the  misanthropic  idiosyncrasies  of 
her  husband,  and  leaving  behind  her  a  girl  of  twelve  and  a 
boy  of  sixteen  to  console  him.  How  futile  was  this  bequest 
may  be  guessed  from  a  brief  summary  of  Mr.  Culpepper's 
peculiarities.  They  were  the  development  of  a  singular  form 
of  aggrandizement  and  misanthropy.  On  his  arrival  at  Log- 
port  he  had  bought  a  part  of  the  apparently  valueless  Dedlow 
Marsh  from  the  Government  at  less  than  a  dollar  an  acre, 
continuing  his  singular  investment  year  by  year  until  he 
was  the  owner  of  three  leagues  of  amphibious  domain.  It 
was  then  discovered  that  this  property  carried  with  it  the 
water-front  of  divers  valuable  and  convenient  sites  for 
manufactures  and  the  commercial  ports  of  a  noble  bay,  as 
well  as  the  natural  embarcaderos  of  some  "  lumbering " 
inland  settlements.  Boone  Culpepper  would  not  sell. 
Boone  Culpepper  would  not  rent  or  lease.  Boone  Culpep- 
per held  an  invincible  blockade  of  his  neighbors,  and  the 
progress  and  improvement  he  despised  —  granting  only, 
after  a  royal  fashion,  occasional  license,  revocable  at  plea- 
sure, in  the  shape  of  tolls,  which  amply  supported  him, 
with  the  game  he  shot  in  his  kingfisher's  eyrie  on  the 
Marsh.  Even  the  Government  that  had  made  him  power- 
ful was  obliged  to  "  condemn  "  a  part  of  his  property  at  an 
equitable  price  for  the  purposes  of  Fort  Kedwood,  in  which 
the  adjacent  town  of  Logport  shared.  And  Boone  Culpep- 


404  THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW   MARSH 

per,  unable  to  resist  the  act,  refused  to  receive  the  compen- 
sation or  quitclaim  the  town.  In  his  scant  intercourse 
with  his  neighbors  he  always  alluded  to  it  as  his  own,  showed 
it  to  his  children  as  part  of  their  strange  inheritance,  and 
exhibited  the  starry  flag  that  floated  from  the  Fort  as  a 
flaunting  insult  to  their  youthful  eyes.  Hated,  feared.,  and 
superstitiously  shunned  by  some,  regarded  as  a  madman  by 
others,  familiarly  known  as  "  The  Kingfisher  of  Dedlow," 
Boone  Culpepper  was  one  day  found  floating  dead  in  his 
skiff,  with  a  charge  of  shot  through  his  head  and  shoulders. 
The  shot-gun  lying  at  his  feet  at  the  bottom  of  the  boat 
indicated  the  "  accident "  as  recorded  in  the  verdict  of  the 
coroner's  jury  —  but  not  by  the  people.  A  thousand 
rumors  of  murder  or  suicido  prevailed,  but  always  with  the 
universal  rider,  "  Served  him  right.77  So  invincible  was 
this  feeling  that  but  few  attended  his  last  rites,  which  took 
place  at  high  water.  The  delay  of  the  officiating  clergy- 
man lost  the  tide  ;  the  homely  catafalque  —  his  own  boat  — 
was  left  aground  on  the  Marsh,  and  deserted  by  all  mourn- 
ers except  the  two  children.  Whatever  he  had  instilled 
into  them  by  precept  and  example,  whatever  took  place 
that  night  in  their  lonely  watch  by  his  bier  on  the  black 
marshes,  it  was  certain  that  those  who  confidently  looked 
for  any  change  in  the  administration  of  the  Dedlow  Marsh 
were  cruelly  mistaken.  The  old  Kingfisher  was  dead,  but 
he  had  left  in  the  nest  two  young  birds,  more  beautiful 
and  graceful,  it  was  true,  yet  as  fierce  and  tenacious  of  beak 
and  talon. 


II 

ARRIVING  at  the  house,  the  young  people  ascended  the 
outer  flight  of  wooden  steps,  which  bore  an  odd  likeness  to 
the  companionway  of  a  vessel,  and  the  gallery,  or  "  deck," 
as  it  was  called  —  where  a  number  of  nets,  floats,  and  buoys 
thrown  over  the  railing  completed  the  nautical  resem- 
blance. This  part  of  the  building  was  evidently  devoted 
to  kitchen,  dining-room,  and  domestic  offices ;  the  principal 
room  in  the  centre  serving  as  hall  or  living-room,  and  com- 
municating on  the  other  side  with  two  sleeping  apartments. 
It  was  of  considerable  size,  with  heavy  lateral  beams  across 
the  ceiling,  —  built,  like  the  rest  of  the  house,  with  a  cer- 
tain maritime  strength,  —  and  looked  not  unlike  a  saloon 
cabin.  An  enormous  open  Franklin  stove  between  the 
windows,  as  large  as  a  chimney,  blazing  with  driftwood, 
gave  light  and  heat  to  the  apartment,  and  brought  into 
flickering  relief  the  boarded  walls  hung  with  the  spoils  of 
sea  and  shore,  and  glittering  with  gun-barrels.  Fowling- 
pieces  of  all  sizes,  from  the  long  ducking-gun  mounted  on 
a  swivel  for  boat  use  to  the  light  single-barrel  or  carbine, 
stood  in  racks  against  the  walls  ;  game-bags,  revolvers  in 
their  holsters,  hunting  and  fishing  knives  in  their  sheaths, 
depended  from  hooks  above  them.  In  one  corner  stood 
a  harpoon ;  in  another,  two  or  three  Indian  spears  for 
salmon.  The  carpetless  floor  and  rude  chairs  and  settles 
were  covered  with  otter,  mink,  beaver,  and  a  quantity  of 
valuable  seal-skins,  with  a  few  larger  pelts  of  the  bear 
and  elk.  The  only  attempt  at  decoration  was  the  displayed 
wings  and  breasts  of  the  wood  and  harlequin  duck,  the 


406  THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MARSH 

muir,  the  cormorant,  the  gull,  the  gannet,  and  the  femi- 
ninely delicate  half  mourning  of  petrel  and  plover,  nailed 
against  the  wall.  The  influence  of  the  sea  was  dominant 
above  all,  and  asserted  its  saline  odors  even  through  the 
spice  of  the  curling  driftwood  smoke  that  half  veiled  the 
ceiling. 

A  berry-eyed  old  Indian  woman  with  the  complexion  of 
dried  salmon ;  her  daughter,  also  with  berry  eyes,  and 
with  a  face  that  seemed  wholly  made  of  a  moist  laugh  ; 
"  Yellow  Bob,"  a  Digger  "  buck,"  so  called  from  the  prevail- 
ing ochre  markings  of  his  cheek,  and  "  Washooh,"  an  ex- 
chief  ;  a  nondescript  in  a  blanket,  looking  like  a  cheap  and 
dirty  doll  whose  fibrous  hair  was  badly  nailed  on  his  carved 
wooden  head,  composed  the  Culpepper  household.  While 
the  two  former  were  preparing  supper  in  the  adjacent  dining- 
room,  Yellow  Bob,  relieved  of  his  burden  of  game,  ap- 
peared on  the  gallery  and  beckoned  mysteriously  to  his 
master  through  the  window.  James  Culpepper  went  out, 
returned  quickly,  and,  after  a  minute's  hesitation  and  an 
uneasy  glance  towards  his  sister,  who  had  meantime  pushed 
back  her  sou'wester  from  her  forehead,  and  without  taking 
off  her  jacket  had  dropped  into  a  chair  before  the  fire  with 
her  back  towards  him,  took  his  gun  noiselessly  from  the 
rack,  and,  saying  carelessly  that  he  would  be  back  in  a 
moment,  disappeared. 

Left  to  herself,  Maggie  coolly  pulled  off  her  long  boots 
and  stockings,  and  comfortably  opposed  to  the  fire  two  very 
pretty  feet  and  ankles,  whose  delicate  purity  was  slightly 
blue-bleached  by  confinement  in  the  tepid  sea-water.  The 
contrast  of  their  waxen  whiteness  with  her  blue  woolen 
skirt,  and  with  even  the  skin  of  her  sunburnt  hands  and 
wrists,  apparently  amused  her,  and  she  sat  for  some  moments 
with  her  elbows  on  her  knees,  her  skirts  slightly  raised, 
contemplating  them,  and  curling  her  toes  with  evident  satis- 
faction. The  firelight  playing  upon  the  rich  coloring  of  her 


THE   HERITAGE   OP  DEDLOW  MARSH  407 

face,  the  fringe  of  jet-black  curls  that  almost  met  the  thick 
sweep  of  eyebrows,  and  left  her  only  a  white  strip  of  fore- 
head, her  short  upper  lip  and  small  chin,  rounded  but 
resolute,  completed  a  piquant  and  striking  figure.  The 
rich  brown  shadows  on  the  smoke-stained  walls  and  ceiling, 
the  occasional  starting  into  relief  of  the  scutcheons  of  bril- 
liant plumage,  and  the  momentary  glitter  of  the  steel  bar- 
rels made  a  quaint  background  to  this  charming  picture. 
Sitting  there,  and  following  some  lingering  memory  of  her 
tramp  on  the  Marsh,  she  hummed  to  herself  a  few  notes  of 
the  bugle-call  that  had  impressed  her  —  at  first  softly,  and 
finally  with  the  full  pitch  of  her  voice. 

Suddenly  she  stopped. 

There  was  a  faint  and  unmistakable  rapping  on  the 
floor  beneath  her.  It  was  distinct,  but  cautiously  given, 
as  if  intended  to  be  audible  to  her  alone.  For  a  moment 
she  stood  upright,  her  feet  still  bare  and  glistening,  on  the 
otter  skin  that  served  as  a  rug.  There  were  two  doors  to 
the  room,  one  from  which  her  brother  had  disappeared, 
which  led  to  the  steps,  the  other  giving  on  the  back  gal- 
lery, looking  inland.  With  a  quick  instinct  she  caught  up 
her  gun  and  ran  to  that  one,  but  not  before  a  rapid  scram- 
ble near  the  railing  was  followed  by  a  cautious  opening  of 
the  door.  She  was  just  in  time  to  shut  it  on  the  extended 
arm  and  light  blue  sleeve  of  an  army  overcoat  that  pro- 
truded through  the  opening,  and  for  a  moment  threw  her 
whole  weight  against  it. 

"  A  dhrop  of  whiskey,  Miss,  for  the  love  of  God." 

She  retained  her  hold,  cocked  her  weapon,  and  stepped 
back  a  pace  from  the  door.  The  blue  sleeve  was  followed 
by  the  rest  of  the  overcoat,  and  a  blue  cap  with  the  infan- 
try blazoning,  and  the  letter  H  on  its  peak.  They  were 
for  the  moment  more  distinguishable  than  the  man  beneath 
them  —  grimed  and  blackened  with  the  slime  of  the  Marsh. 
But  what  could  be  seen  of  his  mud-stained  face  was  more 


408  THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MARSH 

grotesque  than  terrifying.  A  combination  of  weakness  and 
audacity,  insinuation  and  timidity  struggled  through  the 
dirt  for  expression.  His  small  "blue  eyes  were  not  ill- 
natured,  and  even  the  intruding  arm  trembled  more  from 
exhaustion  than  passion. 

"  On'y  a  dhrop,  Miss,"  he  repeated  piteously,  "  and  av 
ye  pleeze,  quick !  afore  I  Jm  stharved  with  the  cold  en- 
toirely." 

She  looked  at  him  intently  —  without  lowering  her  gun. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  " 

"  Thin,  it 's  the  truth  I  '11  tell  ye,  Miss  —  whisth  then  !  " 
he  said  in  a  half  whisper ;  "  I  'm  a  desarter !  " 

"  Then  it  was  you  that  was  doggin'  us  on  the  Marsh  ?  " 

"  It  was  the  sarjint  I  was  lavin',  Miss." 

She  looked  at  him  hesitatingly. 

"  Stay  outside  there  ;  if  you  move  a  step  into  the  room, 
I  '11  blow  you  out  of  it." 

He  stepped  back  on  the  gallery.  She  closed  the  door, 
bolted  it,  and,  still  holding  the  gun,  opened  a  cupboard, 
poured  out  a  glass  of  whiskey,  and,  returning  to  the  door, 
opened  it  and  handed  him  the  liquor. 

She  watched  him  drain  it  eagerly,  saw  the  fiery  stimu- 
lant put  life  into  his  shivering  frame,  trembling  hands,  and 
kindle  his  dull  eye  —  and  —  quietly  raised  her  gun  again. 

"  Ah,  put  it  down,  Miss,  put  it  down  !  Fwhot  's  the 
use  ?  Sure  the  bullets  ye  carry  in  them  oiyes  of  yours  is 
more  deadly !  It  's  out  here  oi  '11  sthand,  glory  be  to 
God,  all  night,  without  movin'  a  fut  till  the  sarjint  comes 
to  take  me,  av  ye  won't  levil  them  oiyes  at  me  like  that. 
Ah,  whirra !  look  at  that  now  !  but  it 's  a  goddess  she  is 
—  the  livin'  Jaynus  of  warr,  standin'  there  like  a  statoo, 
wid  her  alybaster  fut  put  forward." 

In  her  pride  and  conscious  superiority,  any  suggestion  of 
shame  at  thus  appearing  before  a  common  man  and  a  men- 
dicant was  as  impossible  to  her  nature  as  it  would  have 


THE  HERITAGE  OF  DEDLOW  MARSH       409 

been  to  a  queen  or  the  goddess  of  his  simile.  His  presence 
and  his  compliment  alike  passed  her  calm  modesty  unchal- 
lenged. The  wretched  scamp  recognized  the  fact  and  felt 
its  power,  and  it  was  with  a  superstitious  reverence  assert- 
ing itself  through  his  native  extravagance  that  he  raised 
his  grimy  hand  to  his  cap  in  military  salute  and  became 
respectfully  rigid. 

"  Then  the  sodgers  were  huntin'  you  ?  "  she  said  thought- 
fully, lowering  her  weapon. 

"  Thrue  for  you,  Miss  —  they  worr,  and  it 's  meself 
that  was  lyin'  flat  in  the  ditch  wid  me  faytures  makin'  an 
illigant  cast  in  the  mud  —  more  betoken,  as  ye  see  even 
now — and  the  sarjint  and  his  day  tail  thrampin'  round 
me.  It  was  thin  that  the  mortial  cold  sthruck  through  me 
mouth,  and  made  me  wake  for  the  whiskey  that  would 
resthore  me.'7 

"  What  did  you  desert  fer  ?  " 

"  Ah,  list  to  that  now  !  Fwhat  did  I  desart  fer  ?  Shure 
ev  there  was  the  ghost  of  an  inemy  round,  it  's  meself  that 
would  be  in  the  front  now  !  But  it  was  the  letthers  from 
me  ould  mother,  Miss,  that  is  sthruck  wid  a  mortial  illness 
—  long  life  to  her !  —  in  County  Clare,  and  me  sisthers 
in  Ninth  Avenue  in  New  York,  fornint  the  daypo,  that  is 
brekken  their  harruts  over  me  listin'  in  the  Fourth  Infan- 
thry  to  do  duty  in  a  haythen  wilderness.  Av  it  was  the 
cavalry  —  and  it 's  me  own  father  that  was  in  the  Innish- 
killen  Dthragoons,  Miss  —  oi  would  n't  moind.  Wid  a 
horse  betune  me  legs,  it 's  on  parade  oi  'd  be  now,  Miss, 
and  not  wandhering  over  the  bare  flure  of  the  Marsh, 
sthajrved  wid  the  cold,  the  thirst,  and  hunger,  wid  the  mud 
and  the  moire  thick  on  me  ;  facin'  an  illigant  young  leddy 
as  is  the  ekal  ov  a  Fayld  Marshal's  darter  —  not  to  sphake 
ov  Kernal  Preston's  —  ez  could  n't  hold  a  candle  to  her." 

Brought  up  on  the  Spanish  frontier,  Maggie  Culpepper 
was  one  of  the  few  American  girls  who  was  not  familiar 


410  THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MARSH 

with  the  Irish  race.  The  rare  smile  that  momentarily  lit 
up  her  petulant  mouth  seemed  to  justify  the  intruder's 
praise.  But  it  passed  quickly,  and  she  returned  dryly  :  — 

"  That  means  you  want  more  drink,  suthin'  to  eat,  and 
clothes.  Suppose  my  brother  comes  back  and  ketches  you 
here  ?  " 

"  Shure,  Miss,  he 's  just  now  hunten  me,  along  wid  his 
two  hay  then  Diggers,  beyond  the  lay  goon  there.  It  worr 
the  yellar  one  that  sphotted  me  lyin'  there  in  the  ditch ;  it 
worr  only  your  own  oiyes,  Miss  —  more  power  to  their 
beauty  for  that !  —  that  saw  me  folly  him  unbeknownst 
here  ;  and  that  desaved  them,  ye  see  ! " 

The  young  girl  remained  for  an  instant  silent  and 
thoughtful. 

"  We  're  no  friends  of  the  Fort,"  she  said  finally,  "  but 
I  don't  reckon  for  that  reason  my  brother  will  cotton  to 
you.  Stay  out  thar  where  ye  are,  till  I  come  to  ye.  If 
you  hear  me  singin'  again,  you  '11  know  he  's  come  back, 
and  ye  'd  better  scoot  with  what  you  've  already  got,  and 
be  thankful." 

She  shut  the  door  again  and  locked  it,  went  into  the 
dining-room,  returned  with  some  provisions  wrapped  in 
paper,  took  a  common  wicker  flask  from  the  wall,  passed 
into  her  brother's  bedroom,  and  came  out  with  a  flannel 
shirt,  overalls,  and  a  coarse  Indian  blanket,  and,  reopening 
the  door,  placed  them  before  the  astonished  and  delighted 
vagabond.  His  eye  glistened  ;  he  began,  "  Glory  be  to 
God,"  but  for  once  his  habitual  extravagance  failed  him. 
Nature  triumphed  with  a  more  eloquent  silence  over  his 
well-worn  art.  He  hurriedly  wiped  his  begrimed  face^  and 
eyes  with  the  shirt  she  had  given  him,  and,  catching  the 
sleeve  of  her  rough  pea-jacket  in  his  dirty  hand,  raised  it 
to  his  lips. 

"  Go !  "  she  said  imperiously.  "  Get  away  while  you 
can." 


THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MARSH  411 

"  Av  it  vas  me  last  words  —  it 's  speechless  oi  am,''  he 
stammered,  and  disappeared  over  the  railing. 

She  remained  for  a  moment  holding  the  door  half  open, 
and  gazing  into  the  darkness  that  seemed  to  flow  in  like  a 
tide.  Then  she  shut  it,  and  going  into  her  hedroom  resumed 
her  interrupted  toilet.  When  she  emerged  again  she  was 
smartly  stockinged  and  slippered,  and  even  the  blue  serge 
skirt  was  exchanged  for  a  bright  print,  with  a  white  fichu 
tied  around  her  throat.  An  attempt  to  subdue  her  rebel- 
lious curls  had  resulted  in  the  construction  from  their  ruins 
of  a  low  Norman  arch  across  her  forehead  with  pillared 
abutments  of  ringlets.  When  her  brother  returned  a  few 
moments  later  she  did  not  look  up,  but  remained,  perhaps 
a  little  ostentatiously,  bending  over  the  fire. 

"  Bob  allowed  that  the  Fort  boat  was  huntin'  men  — 
deserters,  I  reckon,"  said  Jim  aggrievedly.  "  Wanted  me 
to  believe  that  he  saw  one  on  the  Marsh  hidin'.  On'y  an 
Injin  lie,  I  reckon,  to  git  a  little  extra  fire-water,  for  toting 
me  out  to  the  bresh  on  a  fool's  errand." 

"  Oh,  that's  where  you  went !  "  said  Maggie,  addressing 
the  fire.  "  Since  when  hev  you  tuk  partnership  with  the 
Guv'nment  and  Kernel  Preston  to  hunt  up  and  take  keer 
of  their  property  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  ain't  goin'  to  hev  such  wreckage  as  they  pick 
up  and  enlist  set  adrift  on  our  marshes,  Mag,"  said  Jim 
decidedly. 

"  What  would  you  hev  done  had  you  ketched  him  ?  " 
said  Maggie,  looking  suddenly  into  her  brother's  face. 

"  Given  him  a  dose  of  snipe-shot  that  he'd  remember, 
and  be  thankful  it  wasn't  slugs,"  said  Jim  promptly. 
Observing  a  deeper  seriousness  in  her  attitude,  he  added, 
"  Why,  if  it  was  in  war-time  he  'd  get  a  ball  from  them 
sodgers  on  sight." 

"  Yes  ;  but  you  ain't  got  no  call  to  interfere,"  said  Mag- 
gie. 


412  THE  HERITAGE  OF  DEDLOW   MAESH 

"  Ain't  I  ?  Why,  he 's  no  better  than  an  outlaw.  I 
ain't  sure  that  he  has  n't  been  stealin'  or  killin'  somebody 
over  theer." 

"  Not  that  man !  "  said  Maggie  impulsively. 

"  Not  what  man  ?  "  said  her  brother,  facing  her  quickly. 

"Why,"  returned  Maggie,  repairing  her  indiscretion 
with  feminine  dexterity,  "  not  any  man  who  might  have 
knocked  you  and  me  over  on  the  marshes  in  the  dusk,  and 
grabbed  our  guns." 

"  Wish  he  'd  hev  tried  it,"  said  the  brother,  with  a 
superior  smile,  but  a  quickly  rising  color.  "  Where  d'  ye 
suppose  I'd  hev  been  all  the  while  ?  " 

Maggie  saw  her  mistake,  and  for  the  first  time  in  her  life 
resolved  to  keep  a  secret  from  her  brother  —  over  night. 
"  Supper  's  gettin'  cold,"  she  said,  rising. 

They  went  into  the  dining-room  —  an  apartment  as 
plainly  furnished  as  the  one  they  had  quitted,  but  in  its 
shelves,  cupboards,  and  closely  fitting  boarding  bearing  out 
the  general  nautical  suggestion  of  the  house  —  and  seated 
themselves  before  a  small  table  on  which  their  frugal  meal 
was  spread.  In  this  tete-a-tete  position  Jim  suddenly  laid 
down  his  knife  and  fork  and  stared  at  his  sister. 

"  Hello !  " 

"  What 's  the  matter  ? "  said  Maggie,  starting  slightly. 
"  How  you  do  skeer  one." 

"  Who 's  been  prinkin',  eh  ?  " 

"  My  ha'r  was  in  kinks  all  along  o'  that  hat,"  said 
Maggie,  with  a  return  of  higher  color,  "and  I  had  to 
straighten  it.  It  's  a  boy's  hat,  not  a  girl's." 

"  But  that  necktie  and  that  gown  —  and  all  those  frills 
and  tuckers  ? "  continued  Jim,  generalizing,  with  a  rapid 
twirling  of  his  fingers  over  her.  "  Are  you  expectin'  Judge 
Martin  or  the  Expressman  this  evening  ?  " 

Judge  Martin  was  the  lawyer  of  Logport,  who  had 
proven  her  father's  will,  and  had  since  raved  about  his 


THE  HERITAGE  OF  DEDLOW  MARSH       413 

single  interview  with  the  Kingfisher's  beautiful  daughter ; 
the  Expressman  was  a  young  fellow  who  was  popularly 
supposed  to  have  left  his  heart  while  delivering  another 
valuable  package  on  Maggie  in  person,  and  had  "  never  been 
the  same  man  since."  It  was  a  well-worn  fraternal  plea- 
santry that  had  done  duty  many  a  winter's  evening,  as  a 
happy  combination  of  moral  admonition  and  cheerfulness. 
Maggie  usually  paid  it  the  tribute  of  a  quick  little  laugh 
and  a  sisterly  pinch,  but  that  evening  those  marks  of  appro- 
bation were  withheld. 

"Jim  dear,"  said  she,  when  their  Spartan  repast  was 
concluded  and  they  were  reestablished  before  the  living- 
room  fire,  "  what  was  it  the  Eedwood  Mill  Kempany 
offered  you  for  that  piece  near  Dead  Man's  Slough  ?  " 

Jim  took  his  pipe  from  his  lips  long  enough  to  say, 
"Ten  thousand  dollars,"  and  put  it  back  again. 

"And  what  do  ye  kalkilate  all  our  property,  letting 
alone  this  yer  house,  and  the  driftwood  front,  is  worth 
all  together  ?  " 

"  Includin'  wot  the  Gov'nment  owes  us  ?  —  for  that 's 
all  ours,  ye  know  ?  "  said  Jim  quickly. 

"No  —  leavin'  that  out  —  jest  for  greens,  you  know," 
suggested  Maggie. 

"  Well  nigh  onter  a  hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand 
dollars,  I  reckon,  by  and  large." 

"  That 's  a  heap  o'  money,  Jim  !  I  reckon  old  Kernel 
Preston  would  n't  raise  that  in  a  hundred  years,"  continued 
Maggie,  warming  her  knees  by  the  fire. 

"  In  five  million  years,"  said  Jim,  promptly  sweeping 
away  further  discussion.  After  a  pause  he  added,  "  You 
and  me,  Mag,  kin  see  anybody's  pile,  and  go  'em  fifty  thou- 
sand better." 

There  were  a  few  moments  of  complete  silence,  in  which 
Maggie  smoothed  her  knees,  and  Jim's  pipe,  which  seemed 
to  have  become  gorged  and  apoplectic  with  its  owner's 
wealth,  snored  unctuously. 


414       THE  HEEITAGE  OF  DEDLOW  MARSH 

"  Jim  dear,  what  if  —  it 's  on'y  an  idea  of  mine,  you 
know  —  what  if  you  sold  that  piece  to  the  Redwood  Mill, 
and  we  jest  tuk  that  money  and  —  and  —  and  jest  lifted  the 
ha'r  offer  them  folks  at  Logport  ?  Jest  astonished  'em ! 
Jest  tuk  the  best  rooms  in  that  new  hotel,  got  a  hoss  and 
buggy,  dressed  ourselves,  you  and  me,  fit  to  kill,  and  made 
them  Fort  people  take  a  back  seat  in  the  Lord's  Tabernacle, 
oncet  for  all.  You  see  what  I  mean,  Jim,"  she  said  hastily, 
as  her  brother  seemed  to  be  succumbing,  like  his  pipe,  in 
apoplectic  astonishment,  "jest  on'y  to  show  'em  what  we 
could  do  if  we  keerd.  Lord  !  when  we  done  it  and  spent 
the  money  we  'd  jest  snap  our  fingers  and  skip  back  yer  ez 
nat'ral  ez  life  !  Ye  don't  think,  Jim/'  she  said,  suddenly 
turning  half  fiercely  upon  him,  "  that  I  'd  allow  to  live 
among  'em  —  to  stay  a  menet  after  that  !  " 

Jim  laid  down  his  pipe  and  gazed  at  his  sister  with 
stony  deliberation.  "  And  —  what  —  do  —  you  —  kalki- 
late  —  to  make  by  all  that  ?  "  he  said,  with  scornful  dis- 
tinctness. 

"  Why,  jest  to  show  'em  we  have  got  money,  and  could 
buy  'em  all  up  if  we  wanted  to,"  returned  Maggie,  sticking 
boldly  to  her  guns,  albeit  with  a  vague  conviction  that  her 
fire  was  weakened  through  elevation,  and  somewhat  alarmed 
at  the  deliberation  of  the  enemy. 

"  And  you  mean  to  say  they  don't  know  it  now,"  he  con- 
tinued with  slow  derision. 

"  No,"  said  Maggie.  "  Why,  theer  's  that  new  school- 
marm  over  at  Logport,  you  know,  Jim,  the  one  that  wanted 
to  take  your  picter  in  your  boat  for  a  young  smuggler  or 
fancy  pirate  or  Eyetalian  fisherman,  and  allowed  that  you  're 
handsomed  some,  and  offered  to  pay  you  for  sittin'  —  do  you 
reckon  she  'd  believe  you  owned  the  land  her  schoolhouse 
was  built  on?  No!  Lots  of  'em  don't.  Lots  of  'em 
thinks  we  're  poor  and  low  down  —  and  them  ez  does  n't, 
thinks  "  — 


THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MAESH  415 

"  What  ?•  "  asked  her  brother  sharply. 

" That  we  're  mean" 

The  quick  color  came  to  Jim's  cheek.  "  So,"  he  said, 
facing  her  quickly,  "  for  the  sake  of  a  lot  of  riff-raff  and 
scum  that 's  drifted  here  around  us  —  jest  for  the  sake  of 
cuttin'  a  swell  before  them  —  you  '11  go  out  among  the 
hounds  ez  allowed  your  mother  was  a  Spanish  nigger  or  a 
kanaka,  ez  called  your  father  a  pirate  and  landgrabber,  ez 
much  as  allowed  he  was  shot  by  some  one  or  killed  himself 
a  purpose,  ez  said  you  was  a  heathen  and  a  loony  because 
you  did  n't  go  to  school  or  church  along  with  their  trash, 
ez  kept  away  from  maw's  sickness  ez  if  it  was  smallpox, 
and  dad's  fun'ral  ez  if  he  was  a  hoss-thief,  and  left  you  and 
me  to  watch  his  coffin  on  the  marshes  all  night  till  the  tide 
kem  back.  And  now  you  —  you  that  jined  hands  with  me 
that  night  over  our  father  lyin'  there  cold  and  despised  — 
ez  if  he  was  a  dead  dog  thrown  up  by  the  tide  —  and  swore 
that  ez  long  ez  that  tide  ebbed  and  flowed  it  could  n't  bring 
you  to  them,  or  them  to  you  agin !  You  now  want  — 
what  ?  What  ?  WThy,  to  go  and  cast  your  lot  among  'em, 
and  live  among  'em,  and  join  in  their  God-forsaken  holler 
foolishness,  and  —  and  —  and  "  — 

"  Stop !  It 's  a  lie  !  I  did  n't  say  that.  Don't  you 
dare  to  say  it !  "  said  the  girl,  springing  to  her  feet,  and 
facing  her  brother  in  turn,  with  flashing  eyes. 

For  a  moment  the  two  stared  at  each  other  —  it  might 
have  been  as  in  a  mirror,  so  perfectly  were  their  passions 
reflected  in  each  line,  shade,  and  color  of  the  other's  face. 
It  was  as  if  they  had  each  confronted  their  own  passionate 
and  willful  souls,  and  were  frightened.  It  had  often 
occurred  before,  always  with  the  same  invariable  ending. 
The  young  man's  eyes  lowered  first ;  the  girl's  filled  with 
tears. 

"  Well,  ef  ye  did  n't  mean  that,  what  did  ye  mean  ?  " 
said  Jim,  sinking,  with  sullen  apology,  back  into  his  chair. 


416  THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MARSH 

"I  —  only  —  meant  it  —  for  —  for  —  revenge  ! "  sobbed 
Maggie. 

"  Oh  !  "  said  Jim,  as  if  allowing  his  higher  nature  to  be 
touched  by  this  noble  instinct.  "  But  I  did  n't  jest  see 
where  the  revenge  kern  in.7' 

"  No  ?  But,  never  mind  now,  Jim,"  said  Maggie,  osten- 
tatiously ignoring,  after  the  fashion  of  her  sex,  the  trouble 
she  had  provoked  ;  "  but  to  think  —  that  —  that  —  you 
thought  "  —  (sobbing). 

"  But  I  did  n't,  Mag  "  —  (caressingly). 

With  this  very  vague  and  impotent  conclusion,  Maggie 
permitted  herself  to  be  drawn  beside  her  brother,  and  for  a 
few  moments  they  plumed  each  other's  ruffled  feathers,  and 
smoothed  each  other's  lifted  crests,  like  two  beautiful  young 
specimens  of  that  halcyon  genus  to  which  they  were  popu- 
larly supposed  to  belong.  At  the  end  of  half  an  hour  Jim 
rose,  and,  yawning  slightly,  said  in  a  perfunctory  way  :  — 

"  Where  's  the  book  ?  " 

The  book  in  question  was  the  Bible.  It  had  been  the 
self-imposed  custom  of  these  two  young  people  to  read 
aloud  a  chapter  every  night  as  their  one  vague  formula  of 
literary  and  religious  discipline.  When  it  was  produced, 
Maggie,  presuming  on  his  affectionate  and  penitential  con- 
dition, suggested  that  to-night  he  should  pick  out  "  suthin' 
interestin'."  But  this  unorthodox  frivolity  was  sternly 
put  aside  by  Jim  —  albeit,  by  way  of  compromise,  he  agreed 
to  "  chance  it,"  i.  e.,  open  its  pages  at  random. 

He  did  so.  Generally  he  allowed  himself  a  moment's 
judicious  pause  for  a  certain  chaste  preliminary  inspection 
necessary  before  reading  aloud  to  a  girl.  To-night  he 
omitted  that  modest  precaution,  and  in  a  pleasant  voice, 
which  in  reading  was  singularly  free  from  colloquial  infeli- 
cities of  pronunciation,  began  at  once  :  — 

" '  Curse  ye  Meroz,  said  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  curse  ye 
bitterly  the  inhabitants  thereof ;  because  they  came  not  to 


Suthiri1  interestm' 


THE  HERITAGE  OF  DEDLOW  MARSH       417 

the  help  of  the  Lord,  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the 
mighty.7  f: 

"  Oh,  you  looked  first/'  said  Maggie. 

"  I  did  n't  now  —  honest  Injin  !     I  just  opened." 

"  Go  on,"  said  Maggie,  eagerly  shoving  him  and  inter- 
posing her  neck  over  his  shoulder. 

And  Jim  continued  Deborah's  wonderful  song  of  Jael 
and  Sisera  to  the  bitter  end  of  its  strong  monosyllabic 
climax. 

"  There,"  he  said,  closing  the  volume,  "  that 's  what  / 
call  revenge.  That 's  the  real  Scripture  thing  —  no  fancy 
frills  theer." 

"  Yes  ;  but,  Jim  dear,  don't  you  see  that  she  treated  him 
first  —  sorter  got  round  him  with  free  milk  and  butter,  and 
reg'larly  blandished  him,"  argued  Maggie  earnestly. 

But  Jim  declined  to  accept  this  feminine  suggestion,  or 
to  pursue  the  subject  further,  and  after  a  fraternal  embrace 
they  separated  for  the  night.  Jim  lingered  long  enough  to 
look  after  the  fastening  of  the  door  and  windows,  and 
Maggie  remained  for  some  moments  at  her  casement,  look- 
ing across  the  gallery  to  the  Marsh  beyond. 

The  moon  had  risen,  the  tide  was  half  up.  Whatever 
sign  or  trace  of  alien  footprint  or  occupation  had  been  there 
was  already  smoothly  obliterated  ;  even  the  configuration 
of  the  land  had  changed.  A  black  cape  had  disappeared,  a 
level  line  of  shore  had  been  eaten  into  by  teeth  of  glisten- 
ing silver.  The  whole  dark  surface  of  the  Marsh  was  be- 
ginning to  be  streaked  with  shining  veins  as  if  a  new  life 
was  coursing  through  it.  Part  of  the  open  bay  before  the 
Fort,  encroaching  upon  the  shore,  seemed  in  the  moonlight 
to  be  reaching  a  white  and  outstretched  arm  towards  the 
nest  of  the  Kingfisher. 


Ill 

THE  reveille  at  Fort  Eedwood  had  been  supplemented 
full  five  minutes  by  the  voice  of  Lieutenant  George  Calvert's 
servant,  before  that  young  officer  struggled  from  his  bed. 
His  head  was  splitting,  his  tongue  and  lips  were  dry  and 
feverish,  his  bloodshot  eyes  were  shrinking  from  the  insuffer- 
able light  of  the  day,  his  mind  a  confused  medley  of  the 
past  night  and  the  present  morning,  of  cards  and  wild 
revelry,  and  the  vision  of  a  reproachfully  trim  orderly 
standing  at  his  door  with  reports  and  orders  which  he  now 
held  composedly  in  his  hand.  For  Lieutenant  Calvert  had 
been  enjoying  a  symposium  variously  known  as  "  Stag 
Feed  "  and  "  A  Wild  Stormy  Night "  with  several  of  his 
brother  officers,  and  a  sickening  conviction  that  it  was  not 
the  first  or  the  last  time  he  had  indulged  in  these  festivities. 
At  that  moment  he  loathed  himself,  and  then  after  the 
usual  derelict  fashion  cursed  the  fate  that  had  sent  him, 
after  graduating,  to  a  frontier  garrison  —  the  dull  monotony 
of  whose  duties  made  the  Border  horse-play  of  dissipation 
a  relief.  Already  he  had  reached  the  miserable  point  of 
envying  the  veteran  capacities  of  his  superiors  and  equals. 
"  If  I  could  drink  like  Kirby  or  Crowninshield,  or  if  there 
was  any  other  cursed  thing  a  man  could  do  in  this  hole," 
he  had  wretchedly  repeated  to  himself,  after  each  misspent 
occasion,  and  yet  already  he  was  looking  forward  to  them 
as  part  of  a  "  sub's  "  duty  and  worthy  his  emulation.  Al- 
ready the  dream  of  social  recreation  fostered  by  West  Point 
had  been  rudely  dispelled.  Beyond  the  garrison  circle  of 
Colonel  Preston's  family  and  two  officers'  wives,  there  was 


THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MAKSH  419 

no  society.  The  vague  distrust  and  civil  jealousy  with 
which  some  frontier  communities  regard  the  Federal  power, 
heightened  in  this  instance  by  the  uncompromising  attitude 
the  Government  had  taken  towards  the  settlers7  severe 
Indian  policy,  had  kept  the  people  of  Logport  aloof  from 
the  Fort.  The  regimental  band  might  pipe  to  them  on 
Saturdays,  but  they  would  not  dance. 

Howbeit,  Lieutenant  Calvert  dressed  himself  with  uncer- 
tain hands  but  mechanical  regularity  and  neatness,  and, 
under  the  automatic  training  of  discipline  and  duty,  man- 
aged to  button  his  tunic  tightly  over  his  feelings,  to  pull 
himself  together  with  his  sword-belt,  compressing  a  still 
cadet-like  waist,  and  to  present  that  indescribable  combina- 
tion of  precision  and  jauntiness  which  his  brother  officers 
too  often  allowed  to  lapse  into  frontier  carelessness.  His 
closely  clipped  light  hair,  yet  dripping  from  a  plunge  in 
the  cold  water,  had  been  brushed  and  parted  with  military 
exactitude,  and  when  surmounted  by  his  cap,  with  the 
peak  in  an  artful  suggestion  of  extra  smartness  tipped  for- 
ward over  his  eyes,  only  his  pale  face  —  a  shade  lighter 
than  his  little  blonde  mustache  —  showed  his  last  night's 
excesses.  He  was  mechanically  reaching  for  his  sword  and 
staring  confusedly  at  the  papers  on  his  table  when  his  ser- 
vant interrupted  :  — 

"  Major  Bromley  arranged  that  Lieutenant  Kirby  takes 
your  sash  this  morning,  as  you  're  not  well,  sir  ;  and  you  're 
to  report  for  special  to  the  colonel,"  he  added,  pointing 
discreetly  to  the  envelope. 

Touched  by  this  consideration  of  his  superior,  Major 
Bromley,  who  had  been  one  of  the  veterans  of  last  night's 
engagement,  Calvert  mastered  the  contents  of  the  envelope 
without  the  customary  anathema  of  specials,  said,  "  Thank 
you,  Parks,"  and  passed  out  on  the  veranda. 

The  glare  of  the  quiet  sunlit  quadrangle,  clean  as  a  well- 
swept  floor,  the  whitewashed  walls  and  galleries  of  the  bar- 


420  THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW   MARSH 

rack  buildings  beyond,  the  white  and  green  palisade  of 
officers'  cottages  on  either  side,  and  the  glitter  of  a  sentry's 
bayonet,  were  for  a  moment  intolerable  to  him.  Yet,  by  a 
kind  of  subtle  irony,  never  before  had  the  genius  and  spirit 
of  the  vocation  he  had  chosen  seemed  to  be  as  incarnate  as 
in  the  scene  before  him.  Seclusion,  self-restraint,  cleanli- 
ness, regularity,  sobriety,  the  atmosphere  of  a  wholesome 
life,  the  austere  reserve  of  a  monastery  without  its  mysteri- 
ous or  pensive  meditation,  were  all  there.  To  escape 
which,  he  had  of  his  own  free  will  successively  accepted  a 
fool's  distraction,  the  inevitable  result  of  which  was  the 
viewing  of  them  the  next  morning  with  tremulous  nerves 
and  aching  eyeballs. 

An  hour  later,  Lieutenant  George  Calvert  had  received 
his  final  instructions  from  Colonel  Preston  to  take  charge 
of  a  small  detachment  to  recover  and  bring  back  certain 
deserters,  but  notably  one,  Dennis  M'Caffrey  of  Company 
H,  charged  additionally  with  mutinous  solicitation  and  ex- 
ample. As  Calvert  stood  before  his  superior,  that  distin- 
guished officer,  whose  oratorical  powers  had  been  consider- 
ably stimulated  through  a  long  course  of  "  returning  thanks 
for  the  Army,"  slightly  expanded  his  chest  and  said  pater- 
nally :  — 

"  I  am  aware,  Mr.  Calvert,  that  duties  of  this  kind  are 
somewhat  distasteful  to  young  officers,  and  are  apt  to  be 
considered  in  the  light  of  police  detail  ;  but  I  must  remind 
you  that  no  one  part  of  a  soldier's  duty  can  be  held  more 
important  or  honorable  than  another,  and  that  the  fulfill- 
ment of  any  one,  however  trifling,  must,  with  honor  to 
himself  and  security  to  his  comrades,  receive  his  fullest  de- 
votion. A  sergeant  and  a  file  of  men  might  perform  your 
duty,  but  I  require,  in  addition,  the  discretion,  courtesy, 
and  consideration  of  a  gentleman  who  will  command  an 
equal  respect  from  those  with  whom  his  duty  brings  him 
in  contact.  The  unhappy  prejudices  which  the  settlers 


THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MARSH  421 

show  to  the  military  authority  here  render  this,  as  you  are 
aware,  a  difficult  service,  but  I  believe  that  you  will,  with- 
out forgetting  the  respect  due  to  yourself  and  the  Govern- 
ment you  represent,  avoid  rousing  these  prejudices  by  any 
harshness,  or  inviting  any  conflict  with  the  civil  authority. 
The  limits  of  their  authority  you  will  find  in  your  written 
instructions ;  but  you  might  gain  their  confidence,  and  im- 
press them,  Mr.  Calvert,  with  the  idea  of  your  being  their 
auxiliary  in  the  interests  of  justice  —  you  understand. 
Even  if  you  are  unsuccessful  in  bringing  back  the  men, 
you  will  do  your  best  to  ascertain  if  their  escape  has  been 
due  to  the  sympathy  of  the  settlers,  or  even  with  their  pre- 
liminary connivance.  They  may  not  be  aware  that  incit- 
ing enlisted  men  to  desert  is  a  criminal  offense  ;  you  will 
use  your  own  discretion  in  informing  them  of  the  fact  or 
not,  as  occasion  may  serve  you.  I  have  only  to  add,  that 
while  you  are  on  the  waters  of  this  bay  and  the  land  covered 
by  its  tides,  you  have  no  opposition  of  authority,  and  are 
responsible  to  no  one  but  your  military  superiors.  Good- 
by,  Mr.  Calvert.  Let  me  hear  a  good  account  of  you." 

Considerably  moved  by  Colonel  Preston's  manner,  which 
was  as  paternal  and  real  as  his  rhetoric  was  somewhat  per- 
functory, Calvert  half  forgot  his  woes  as  he  stepped  from 
the  commandant's  piazza.  But  he  had  to  face  a  group  of 
his  brother  officers,  who  were  awaiting  him. 

"  Good-by,  Calvert,"  said  Major  Bromley  ;  "  a  day  or 
two  out  on  the  grass  won't  hurt  you  —  and  a  change  from 
commissary  whiskey  will  put  you  all  right.  By  the  way, 
if  you  hear  of  any  better  stuff  at  Westport  than  they  're 
giving  us  here,  sample  it  and  let  us  know.  Take  care  of 
yourself.  Give  your  men  a  chance  to  talk  to  you  now  and 
then,  and  you  may  get  something  from  them,  especially 
Donovan.  Keep  your  eye  on  Ramon.  You  can  trust  your 
sergeant  straight  along." 

((  Good-by,  George,"   said  Kirby.     "  I  suppose  the  old 


422  THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MARSH 

man  told  you  that,  although  no  part  of  a  soldier's  duty  was 
better  than  another,  your  service  was  a  very  delicate  one, 
just  fitted  for  you,  eh  ?  He  always  does  when  he  ?s  cut 
out  some  hellish  scrub-work  for  a  chap.  And  told  you, 
too,  that  as  long  as  you  didn't  go  ashore,  and  kept  to  a 
dispatch-boat,  or  an  eight-oared  gig,  where  you  could  n't 
deploy  your  men,  or  dress  a  line,  you  'd  be  invincible." 

"  He  did  say  something  like  that,"  smiled  Calvert,  with 
an  uneasy  recollection,  however,  that  it  was  the  part  of  his 
superior's  speech  that  particularly  impressed  him. 

"  Of  course,"  said  Kirby  gravely,  "  that,  as  an  infantry 
officer,  is  clearly  your  duty." 

"And  don't  forget,  George,"  said  Eollins  still  more 
gravely,  "  that,  whatever  may  befall  you,  you  belong  to  a 
section  of  that  numerically  small  but  powerfully  diversified 
organization  —  the  American  Army.  Remember  that  in  the 
hour  of  peril  you  can  address  your  men  in  any  language, 
and  be  perfectly  understood.  And  remember  that  when 
you  proudly  stand  before  them,  the  eyes  not  only  of  your 
own  country,  but  of  nearly  all  the  others,  are  upon  you  ! 
Good-by,  Georgey.  I  heard  the  major  hint  something 
about  whiskey.  They  say  that  old  pirate,  Kingfisher  Cul- 
pepper,  had  a  stock  of  the  real  thing  from  Robertson  County 
laid  in  his  shebang  on  the  Marsh  just  before  he  died.  Pity 
we  are  n't  on  terms  with  them,  for  the  cubs  cannot  drink  it, 
and  might  be  induced  to  sell.  Should  n't  wonder,  by  the 
way,  if  your  friend  M'Caffrey  was  hanging  round  somewhere 
there  ;  he  always  had  a  keen  scent.  You  might  confiscate 
it  as  an  '  incitement  to  desertion,7  you  know.  The  girl 's 
pretty,  and  ought  to  be  growing  up  now." 

But  haply  at  this  point  the  sergeant  stopped  further 
raillery  by  reporting  the  detachment  ready ;  and  drawing 
his  sword,  Calvert,  with  a  confused  head,  a  remorseful  heart, 
but  an  unfaltering  step,  marched  off  his  men  on  his  delicate 
mission. 


THE  HERITAGE  OF  DEDLOW  MARSH       423 

It  was  four  o'clock  when  he  entered  Jonesville.  Follow- 
ing a  matter-of-fact  idea  of  his  own,  he  had  brought  his  men 
the  greater  distance  by  a  circuitous  route  through  the  woods, 
thus  avoiding  the  ostentatious  exposure  of  his  party  on  the 
open  bay  in  a  well-manned  boat  to  an  extended  view  from 
the  three  leagues  of  shore  and  marsh  opposite.  Crossing 
the  stream,  which  here  separated  him  from  the  Dedlow 
Marsh,  by  the  common  ferry,  he  had  thus  been  enabled  to 
halt  unperceived  below  the  settlement  and  occupy  the  two 
roads  by  which  the  fugitives  could  escape  inland.  He  had 
deemed  it  not  impossible  that,  after  the  previous  visit  of  the 
sergeant,  the  deserters  hidden  in  the  vicinity  might  return 
to  Jonesville  in  the  belief  that  the  visit  would  not  be 
repeated  so  soon.  Leaving  a  part  of  his  small  force  to  patrol 
the  road  and  another  to  deploy  over  the  upland  meadows, 
he  entered  the  village.  By  the  exercise  of  some  boyish 
diplomacy  and  a  certain  prepossessing  grace,  which  he  knew 
when  and  how  to  employ,  he  became  satisfied  that  the  objects 
of  his  quest  were  not  there  —  however  their  whereabouts 
might  have  been  known  to  the  people.  Dividing  his  party 
again,  he  concluded  to  take  a  corporal  and  a  few  men  and 
explore  the  lower  marshes  himself. 

The  preoccupation  of  duty,  exercise,  and  perhaps,  above 
all,  the  keen  stimulus  of  the  iodine-laden  salt  air  seemed  to 
clear  his  mind  and  invigorate  his  body.  He  had  never 
been  in  the  Marsh  before,  and  enjoyed  its  novelty  with  the 
zest  of  youth.  It  was  the  hour  when  the  tide  of  its  feathered 
life  was  at  its  flood.  Clouds  of  duck  and  teal  passing  from 
the  fresh  water  of  the  river  to  the  salt  pools  of  the  marshes 
perpetually  swept  his  path  with  flying  shadows ;  at  times  it 
seemed  as  if  even  the  uncertain  ground  around  him  itself 
arose  and  sped  away  on  dusky  wings.  The  vicinity  of  hidden 
pools  and  sloughs  was  betrayed  by  startled  splashings  ;  a 
few  paces  from  their  marching  feet  arose  the  sunlit  pinions 
of  a  swan.  The  air  was  tilled  with  multitudinous  small 


424  THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MARSH 

cries  and  pipings.  In  this  vocal  confusion  it  was  some 
minutes  before  he  recognized  the  voice  of  one  of  his  out- 
flankers  calling  to  the  other. 

An  important  discovery  had  been  made.  In  a  long  tongue 
of  bushes  that  ran  down  to  the  Marsh  they  had  found  a 
mud-stained  uniform,  complete  even  to  the  cap,  bearing  the 
initial  of  the  deserter's  company. 

"  Is  there  any  hut  or  cabin  hereabouts,  Schmidt  ?  "  asked 
Calvert. 

"  Dot  vos  schoost  it,  Lefdennun,"  replied  his  corporal. 
"  Dot  vos  de  shanty  from  der  Kingvisher  —  old  Gulbebber. 
I  pet  a  dollar,  py  shimminy,  dot  der  men  haf  der  gekommt." 

He  pointed  through  the  brake  to  a  long,  low  building 
that  now  raised  itself,  white  in  the  sunlight,  above  the  many 
blackened  piles.  Calvert  saw  in  a  single  reconnoitring  glance 
that  it  had  but  one  approach  —  the  flight  of  steps  from  the 
Marsh.  Instructing  his  men  to  fall  in  on  the  outer  edge 
of  the  brake  and  await  his  orders,  he  quickly  made  his  way 
across  the  space  and  ascended  the  steps.  Passing  along  the 
gallery  he  knocked  at  the  front  door.  There  was  no  response. 
He  repeated  his  knock.  Then  the  window  beside  it  opened 
suddenly,  and  he  was  confronted  with  a  double-muzzle  of  a 
long  ducking-gun.  Glancing  instinctively  along  the  barrels, 
he  saw  at  their  other  extremity  the  bright  eyes,  brilliant 
color,  and  small  set  mouth  of  a  remarkably  handsome  girl. 
It  was  the  fact,  and  to  the  credit  of  his  training,  that  he 
paid  more  attention  to  the  eyes  than  to  the  challenge  of  the 
shining  tubes  before  him. 

"  Jest  stop  where  you  are  —  will  you  ! "  said  the  girl 
determinedly. 

Calvert's  face  betrayed  not  the  slightest  terror  or  sur- 
prise. Immovable  as  on  parade,  he  carried  his  white  gloved 
hand  to  his  cap,  and  said  gently,  "  With  pleasure." 

"  Oh  yes,"  said  the  girl  quickly  ;  "  but  if  you  move  a 
step  I  '11  jest  blow  you  and  your  gloves  offer  that  railin' 
inter  the  Marsh." 


THE  HERITAGE  OF  DEDLOW  MARSH       425 

"  I  trust  not/7  returned  Calvert,  smiling. 

"And  why?" 

"  Because  it  would  deprive  me  of  the  pleasure  of  a  few 
moments'  conversation  with  you  —  and  I've  only  one  pair 
of  gloves  with  me.'7 

He  was  still  watching  her  beautiful  eyes — respectfully, 
admiringly,  and  strategically.  For  he  was  quite  convinced 
that  if  he  did  move  she  would  certainly  discharge  one  or 
both  barrels  at  him. 

"  Where 's  the  rest  of  you  ?  "  she  continued  sharply. 

"  About  three  hundred  yards  away,  in  the  covert,  not 
near  enough  to  trouble  you." 

"  Will  they  come  here  ?  " 

"  I  trust  not." 

"  You  trust  not  ?  "  she  repeated  scornfully.     "  Why  ?  " 

"  Because  they  would  be  disobeying  orders." 

She  lowered  her  gun  slightly,  but  kept  her  black  brows 
leveled  at  him.  "  I  reckon  I  'm  a  match  for  you"  she  said, 
with  a  slightly  contemptuous  glance  at  his  slight  figure, 
and  opened  the  door.  For  a  moment  they  stood  looking  at 
each  other.  He  saw,  besides  the  handsome  face  and  eyes 
that  had  charmed  him,  a  tall,  slim  figure,  made  broader 
across  the  shoulders  by  an  open  pea-jacket  that  showed  a 
man's  red  flannel  shirt  belted  at  the  waist  over  a  blue  skirt, 
with  the  collar  knotted  by  a  sailor's  black  handkerchief,  and 
turned  back  over  a  pretty  though  sunburnt  throat.  She 
saw  a  rather  undersized  young  fellow  in  a  jaunty  undress 
uniform,  scant  of  gold  braid,  and  bearing  only  the  single 
gold  shoulder-bars  of  his  rank,  but  scrupulously  neat  and 
well  fitting.  Light-colored  hair  cropped  close,  the  smallest 
of  light  mustaches,  clear  and  penetrating  blue  eyes,  and  a 
few  freckles  completed  a  picture  that  did  not  prepossess  her. 
She  was  therefore  the  more  inclined  to  resent  the  perfect 
ease  and  self-possession  with  which  the  stranger  carried  off 
these  manifest  defects  before  her. 


426       THE  HERITAGE  OF  DEDLOW  MARSH 

She  laid  aside  the  gun,  put  her  hands  deep  in  the  pockets 
of  her  pea-jacket,  and,  slightly  squaring  her  shoulders,  said 
curtly,  "  What  do  you  want  ?  " 

"A  very  little  information,  which  I  trust  it  will  not 
trouble  you  to  give  me.  My  men  have  just  discovered  the 
uniform  belonging  to  a  deserter  from  the  Fort  lying  in  the 
bushes  yonder.  Can  you  give  me  the  slightest  idea  how  it 
came  there  ?  " 

"  What  right  have  you  traipsing  over  our  property  ?  " 
she  said,  turning  upon  him  sharply,  with  a  slight  paling  of 
color. 

"  None  whatever." 

"  Then  what  did  you  come  for  ?  " 

"  To  ask  that  permission,  in  case  you  would  give  me  no 
information." 

"  Why  don't  you  ask  my  brother,  and  not  a  woman  ? 
Were  you  afraid  ?  " 

"  He  could  hardly  have  done  me  the  honor  of  placing  me 
in  more  peril  than  you  have,"  returned  Calvert,  smiling. 
"  Then  I  have  the  pleasure  of  addressing  Miss  Culpepper  ?  " 

"  I  'm  Jim  Culpepper's  sister." 

"  And,  I  believe,  equally  able  to  give  or  refuse  the 
permission  I  ask." 

"  And  what  if  I  refuse  ?  " 

"  Then  I  have  only  to  ask  pardon  for  having  troubled 
you,  go  back,  and  return  here  with  the  tide.  You  don't 
resist  that  with  a  shot-gun,  do  you  ?  "  he  asked  pleasantly. 

Maggie  Culpepper  was  already  familiar  with  the  accepted 
theory  of  the  supreme  jurisdiction  of  the  Federal  Sea. 
She  half  turned  her  back  upon  him,  partly  to  show  her 
contempt,  but  partly  to  evade  the  domination  of  his  clear, 
good-humored,  and  self-sustained  little  eyes. 

"  I  don't  know  anythin'  about  your  deserters,  nor  what 
rags  o'  theirs  happen  to  be  floated  up  here,"  she  said 
angrily,  "  and  don't  care  to.  You  kin  do  what  you  like." 


THE  HERITAGE  OF  DEDLOW  MARSH       427 

"  Then  I  'm  afraid  I  should  remain  here  a  little  longer, 
Miss  Culpepper ;  but  my  duty  "  — 

"  Your  wot  ?  "  she  interrupted  disdainfully. 

"  I  suppose  I  am  talking  shop,"  he  said  smilingly. 
"  Then  my  business  "  — 

"  Your  business  —  pickin'  up  half-starved  runaways  !  " 

"  And,  I  trust,  sometimes  a  kind  friend,"  he  suggested, 
with  a  grave  bow. 

"  You  trust  ?  Look  yer,  young  man,"  she  said,  with 
her  quick,  fierce,  little  laugh,  "  I  reckon  you  trust  a  heap 
too  much  !  "  She  would  like  to  have  added,  "  with  your 
freckled  face,  red  hair,  and  little  eyes  "  —  but  this  would 
have  obliged  her  to  face  them  again,  which  she  did  not 
care  to  do. 

Calvert  stepped  back,  lifted  his  hand  to  his  cap,  still 
pleasantly,  and  then  walked  gravely  along  the  gallery  down 
the  steps,  and  towards  the  cover.  From  her  window,  un- 
seen, she  followed  his  neat  little  figure  moving  undeviat- 
ingly  on,  without  looking  to  the  left  or  right,  and  still  less 
towards  the  house  he  had  just  quitted.  Then  she  saw  the 
sunlight  flash  on  cross-belt  plates  and  steel  barrels,  and 
a  light  blue  line  issued  from  out  the  dark  green  bushes, 
round  the  point,  and  disappeared.  And  then  it  suddenly 
occurred  to  her  what  she  had  been  doing  !  This,  then,  was 
her  first  step  towards  that  fancy  she  had  so  lately  conceived, 
quarreled  over  with  her  brother,  and  lay  awake  last  night 
to  place  anew,  in  spite  of  all  opposition !  This  was  her 
brilliant  idea  of  dazzling  and  subduing  Logport  and  the 
Fort !  Had  she  grown  silly,  or  what  had  happened  ? 
Could  she  have  dreamed  of  the  coming  of  this  whipper- 
snapper,  with  his  insufferable  airs,  after  that  beggarly 
deserter  ?  I  am  afraid  that  for  a  few  moments  the  miser- 
able fugitive  had  as  small  a  place  in  Maggie's  sympathy  as 
the  redoubtable  whipper-snapper  himself.  And  now  the 
cherished  dream  of  triumph  and  conquest  was  over !  What 


428  THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MARSH 

a  "  loony  "  she  had  been !  Instead  of  inviting  him  in, 
and  outdoing  him  in  "  company  manners/'  and  "  fooling  " 
Vim  about  the  deserter,  and  then  blazing  upon  him  after- 
wards at  Logport  in  the  glory  of  her  first  spent  wealth  and 
finery,  she  had  driven  him  away ! 

And  now  "  he  '11  go  and  tell  —  tell  the  Fort  girls  of 
his  hairbreadth  escape  from  the  claws  of  the  Kingfisher's 
daughter  !  " 

The  thought  brought  a  few  bitter  tears  to  her  eyes,  but 
she  wiped  them  away.  The  thought  brought  also  the  ter- 
rible conviction  that  Jim  was  right,  that  there  could  be 
nothing  but  open  antagonism  between  them  and  the  tra- 
ducers  of  their  parents,  as  she  herself  had  instinctively 
shown !  But  she  presently  wiped  that  conviction  away 
also,  as  she  had  her  tears. 

Half  an  hour  later  she  was  attracted  by  the  appearance 
from  the  windows  of  certain  straggling  blue  spots  on  the 
upland  that  seemed  moving  diagonally  towards  the  Marsh. 
She  did  not  know  that  it  was  Calvert's  second  "  detail " 
joining  him,  but  believed  for  a  moment  that  he  had  not 
yet  departed,  and  was  strangely  relieved.  Still  later  the 
frequent  disturbed  cries  of  coot,  heron,  and  marsh-hen, 
recognizing  the  presence  of  unusual  invaders  of  their 
solitude,  distracted  her  yet  more,  and  forced  her  at  last, 
with  increasing  color  and  an  uneasy  sense  of  shyness,  to 
steal  out  to  the  gallery  for  a  swift  furtive  survey  of  the 
Marsh.  But  an  utterly  unexpected  sight  met  her  eyes,  and 
kept  her  motionless. 

The  birds  were  rising  everywhere  and  drifting  away  with 
querulous  perturbation  before  a  small  but  augmented  blue 
detachment  that  was  moving  with  monotonous  regularity 
towards  the  point  of  bushes  where  she  had  seen  the  young 
officer  previously  disappear.  In  their  midst,  between  two 
soldiers  with  fixed  bayonets,  marched  the  man  wrhom  even 
at  that  distance  she  instantly  recognized  as  the  deserter  of 


THE  HERITAGE  OF  DEDLOW  MARSH       429 

the  preceding  night,  in  the  very  clothes  she  had  given  him. 
To  complete  her  consternation,  a  little  to  the  right  marched 
the  young  officer  also,  but  accompanied  by,  and  apparently 
on  the  most  amicable  terms  with,  Jim  —  her  own  brother ! 

To  forget  all  else  and  dart  down  the  steps,  flying  towards 
the  point  of  bushes,  scarcely  knowing  why  or  what  she  was 
doing,  was  to  Maggie  the  impulse  and  work  of  a  moment. 
When  she  had  reached  it  the  party  were  not  twenty  paces 
away.  But  here  a  shyness  and  hesitation  again  seized  her, 
and  she  shrank  back  in  the  bushes  with  an  instinctive  cry  to 
her  brother  inarticulate  upon  her  lips.  They  came  nearer, 
they  were  opposite  to  her ;  her  brother  Jim  keeping  step  with 
the  invader,  and  even  conversing  with  him  with  an  anima- 
tion she  had  seldom  seen  upon  his  face  —  they  passed  !  She 
had  been  unnoticed  except  by  one.  The  roving  eye  of  the 
deserter  had  detected  her  handsome  face  among  the  leaves, 
slightly  turned  towards  it,  and  poured  out  his  whole  soul  in 
a  single  swift  wink  of  eloquent  but  indescribable  con- 
fidence. 

When  they  had  quite  gone,  she  crept  back  to  the  house, 
a  little  reassured,  but  still  tremulous.  When  her  brother 
returned  at  nightfall,  he  found  her  brooding  over  the  fire, 
in  the  same  attitude  as  on  the  previous  night. 

"  I  reckon  ye  might  hev  seen  me  go  by  with  the 
sodgers,"  he  said,  seating  himself  beside  her,  a  little 
awkwardly,  and  with  an  unusual  assumption  of  carelessness. 

Maggie,  without  looking  up,  was  languidly  surprised. 
He  had  been  with  the  soldiers  —  and  where  ? 

"  About  two  hours  ago  I  met  this  yer  Lef tenant  Cal- 
vert,"  he  went  on  with  increasing  awkwardness,  "  and  — 
oh,  I  say,  Mag  —  he  said  he  saw  you,  and  hoped  he  had  n't 
troubled  ye,  and  —  and  —  ye  saw  him,  did  n't  ye  ?  " 

Maggie,  with  all  the  red  of  the  fire  concentrated  in  her 
cheek  as  she  gazed  at  the  flame,  believed  carelessly  "  that 
she  had  seen  a  shrimp  in  uniform  asking  questions.'' 


430  THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW   MARSH 

"  Oh,  he  ain't  a  bit  stuck  up,"  said  Jim  quickly  ;  "that  ?s 
what  I  like  about  him.  He  's  ez  nat'ral  ez  you  be,  and 
tuck  my  arm,  walkin'  around,  careless-like,  laffen  at  what 
he  was  doin',  ez  ef  it  was  a  game,  and  he  was  n't  sole  com- 
mander of  forty  men.  He  's  only  a  year  or  two  older  than 
me  —  and  —  and  "  —  he  stopped  and  looked  uneasily  at 
Maggie. 

"So  ye  've  bin  craw-fishin'  agin  ?  "  said  Maggie  in  her 
deepest  and  most  scornful  contralto. 

"  Who  's  craw-fishin  '  ?  "  he  retorted  angrily. 

"  What 's  this  backen  out  o'  what  you  said  yesterday  ? 
What 's  all  this  trucklin'  to  the  Fort  now  ?  " 

"  What  ?  Well  now,  look  yer,"  said  Jim,  rising  sud- 
denly, with  reproachful  indignation,  "  darned  if  I  don't 
jest  tell  ye  everythin'.  I  promised  him  I  would  n't.  He 
allowed  it  would  frighten  ye." 

"  Frighten  me  !  "  repeated  Maggie  contemptuously,  never- 
theless with  her  cheek  paling  again.  "Frighten  me  — 
with  what  ?  " 

"  Well,  since  yer  so  cantankerous,  look  yer.  We  've 
been  robbed ! " 

"Robbed  ?  "  echoed  Maggie,  facing  him. 

"  Yes,  robbed  by  that  same  deserter.  Robbed  of  a  suit 
of  my  clothes,  and  my  whiskey-flask,  and  the  darned  skunk 
had  'em  on.  And  if  it  had  n't  bin  for  that  Leftenant  Cal- 
vert,  and  my  givin'  him  permission  to  hunt  him  over  the 
Marsh,  we  would  n't  have  caught  him." 

"  Bobbed  ?  "  repeated  Maggie  again  vaguely. 

1 '  Yes,  robbed  !  Last  night,  afore  we  came  home.  He 
must  hev  got  in  yer  while  we  was  comin'  from  the  boat." 

"  Did,  did  that  Leftenant  say  so  ?  "  stammered  Maggie. 

"  Say  it,  of  course  he  did !  and  so  do  I,"  continued 
Jim  impatiently.  "  Why,  there  were  my  very  clothes  on 
his  back,  and  he  dare  n't  deny  it.  And  if  you  'd  heark- 
ened to  me  jest  now,  instead  of  flyin'  off  in  tantrums, 


THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MARSH  431 

you  'd  see  that  that 's  jest  how  we  got  him,  and  how  me 
and  the  Lef tenant  joined  hands  in  it.  I  did  n't  give  him 
permission  to  hunt  deserters,  but  thieves.  I  did  n't  help 
him  to  ketch  the  man  that  deserted  from  him,  but  the 
skunk  that  took  my  clothes.  For  when  the  Leftenant 
found  the  man's  old  uniform  in  the  bush,  he  nat'rally  kal- 
kilated  he  must  hev  got  some  other  duds  near  by  in  some 
underhand  way.  Don't  you  see  ?  eh  ?  Why,  look,  Mag. 
Darned  if  you  ain't  skeered  after  all !  Who  'd  hev  thought 
it  ?  There  now  —  sit  down,  dear.  Why,  you  're  white 
ez  a  gull." 

He  had  his  arm  round  her  as  she  sank  back  in  the  chair 
again  with  a  forced  smile. 

"  There  now,"  he  said  with  fraternal  superiority,  "  don't 
mind  it,  Mag,  any  more.  Why,  it's  all  over  now.  You 
bet  he  won't  trouble  us  agin,  for  the  Leftenant  sez  that 
now  he  's  found  out  to  be  a  thief,  they  '11  jest  turn  him 
over  to  the  police,  and  he  's  sure  o'  getten  six  months' 
state  prison  fer  stealin'  and  burglarin'  in  our  house.  But " 
—  he  stopped  suddenly  and  looked  at  his  sister's  contracted 
face ;  "  look  yer,  Mag,  you  're  sick,  that 's  what 's  the 
matter.  Take  suthin'  "  — 

"I'm  better  now,"  she  said  with  an  effort;  "it's  only 
a  kind  o'  blind  chill  I  must  hev  got  on  the  Marsh  last 
night.  What 's  that  ?  " 

She  had  risen,  and,  grasping  her  brother's  arm  tightly, 
had  turned  quickly  to  the  window.  The  casement  had 
suddenly  rattled. 

"  It 's  only  the  wind  gettin'  up.  It  looked  like  a  sou'- 
wester when  I  came  in.  Lot  o'  scud  fly  in'.  But  you  take 
some  quinine,  Mag.  Don't  you  go  now  and  get  down  sick 
like  maw." 

Perhaps  it  was  this  well-meant  but  infelicitous  reference 
that  brought  a  moisture  to  her  dark  eyes,  and  caused  her 
lips  to  momentarily  quiver.  But  it  gave  way  to  a  quick 


432       THE  HERITAGE  OF  DEDLOW  MARSH 

determined  setting  of  her  whole  face  as  she  turned  it  once 
more  to  the  fire,  and  said  slowly  :  - — 

"  I  reckon  I  '11  sleep  it  off,  if  I  go  to  bed  now.  What 
time  does  the  tide  fall  ?  " 

"  About  three,  unless  this  yer  wind  piles  it  up  on  the 
Marsh  afore  then.  Why  ?  " 

"  I  was  only  wonderin'  if  the  boat  wus  safe,"  said  Maggie, 
rising. 

"  You  'd  better  hoist  yourself  outside  some  quinine,  in- 
stead o'  talken  about  those  things,"  said  Jim,  who  preferred 
to  discharge  his  fraternal  responsibility  by  active  medication. 
"  You  are  n't  fit  to  read  to-night." 

"  Good-night,  Jim,"  she  said  suddenly,  stopping  before 
him. 

"  Good-night,  Mag."  He  kissed  her  with  protecting 
and  amiable  toleration,  generously  referring  her  hot  hands 
and  feverish  lips  to  that  vague  mystery  of  feminine  com- 
plaint which  man  admits  without  indorsing. 

They  separated  ;  Jim,  under  the  stimulus  of  the  late 
supposed  robbery,  ostentatiously  fastening  the  doors  and 
windows  with  assuring  comments,  calculated  to  inspire  con- 
fidence in  his  sister's  startled  heart.  Then  he  went  to  bed. 
He  lay  awake  long  enough  to  be  pleasantly  conscious  that 
the  wind  had  increased  to  a  gale,  and  to  be  lulled  again  to 
sleep  by  the  cosy  security  of  the  heavily  timbered  and 
tightly  sealed  dwelling  that  seemed  to  ride  the  storm  like 
the  ship  it  resembled.  The  gale  swept  through  the  piles 
beneath  him  and  along  the  gallery  as  through  bared  spars 
and  over  wave- washed  decks.  The  whole  structure,  attacked 
above,  below,  and  on  all  sides  by  the  fury  of  the  wind, 
seemed  at  times  to  be  lifted  in  the  air.  Once  or  twice  the 
creaking  timbers  simulated  the  sound  of  opening  doors  and 
passing  footsteps,  and  again  dilated  as  if  the  gale  had  forced 
a  passage  through.  But  Jim  slept  on  peacefully,  and 
was  at  last  only  aroused  by  the  brilliant  sunshine  staring 


THE   HERITAGE   OF   DEDLOW   MAESH  433 

through  his  window  from  the  clear  wind-swept  blue  arch 
beyond. 

Dressing  himself  lazily,  he  passed  into  the  sitting-room 
and  proceeded  to  knock  at  his  sister's  door,  as  was  his  cus- 
tom ;  he  was  amazed  to  find  it  open  and  the  room  empty. 
Entering  hurriedly,  he  saw  that  her  bed  was  undisturbed, 
as  if  it  had  not  been  occupied,  and  was  the  more  bewildered 
to  see  a  note  ostentatiously  pinned  upon  the  pillow,  ad- 
dressed in  pencil,  in  a  large  school-hand,  "  To  Jim." 

Opening  it  impatiently,  he  was  startled  to  read  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

Don't  be  angry,  Jim  dear  —  but  it  was  all  my  fault  — 
and  I  did  n't  tell  you.  I  knew  all  about  the  deserter,  and 
I  gave  him  the  clothes  and  things  that  they  say  he  stole. 
It  was  while  you  was  out  that  night,  and  he  came  and 
begged  of  me,  and  was  mournful  and  hid  jus  to  behold.  I 
thought  I  was  helping  him,  and  getting  our  revenge  on  the 
Fort,  all  at  the  same  time.  Don't  be  mad,  Jim  dear,  and 
do  not  be  frighted  fer  me.  I  'm  going  over  thar  to  make  it 
all  right — to  free  himoi  stealing  —  to  have  you  left  out  of 
it  all  —  and  take  it  all  on  myself.  Don't  you  be  a  bit  feared 
for  me.  I  ain't  skeert  of  the  wind  or  of  going.  I  '11  close 
reef  everything,  clear  the  creek,  stretch  across  to  Injen 
Island,  hugg  the  Point,  and  bear  up  fer  Logport.  Dear  Jim 

—  don't  get  mad  —  but  I  could  n't  bear  this  fooling  of  you 
nor  him  —  and  that  man  being  took  for  stealing  any  longer  ! 

—  Your  loving  sister,  MAGGIE. 

With  a  confused  mingling  of  shame,  anger,  and  sudden  fear 
he  ran  out  on  the  gallery.  The  tide  was  well  up,  half  the 
Marsh  had  already  vanished,  and  the  little  creek  where  he 
had  moored  his  skiff  was  now  an  empty  shining  river. 
The  water  was  everywhere  —  fringing  the  tussocks  of  salt 
grass  with  concentric  curves  of  spume  and  drift,  or  tumul- 


434  THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW   MARSH 

tuously  tossing  its  white-capped  waves  over  the  spreading 
expanse  of  the  lower  bay.  The  low  thunder  of  breakers  in 
the  farther  estuary  broke  monotonously  on  the  ear.  But 
his  eye  was  fascinated  by  a  dull  shifting  streak  on  the  hori- 
zon, that,  even  as  he  gazed,  shuddered,  whitened  along  its 
whole  line,  and  then  grew  ghastly  gray  again.  It  was  the 
ocean  bar. 


IV 

"  WELL,  I  must  say,"  said  Cicely  Preston,  emphasizing 
the  usual  feminine  imperative  for  perfectly  gratuitous  state- 
ment, as  she  pushed  back  her  chair  from  the  commandant's 
breakfast  table,  "  I  must  really  say  that  I  don't  see  any- 
thing particularly  heroic  in  doing  something  wrong,  lying 
about  it  just  to  get  other  folks  into  trouble,  and-  then  rush- 
ing off  to  do  penance  in  a  high  wind  and  an  open  boat. 
But  she  's  pretty,  and  wears  a  man's  shirt  and  coat,  and  of 
course  that  settles  anything.  But  why  earrings  and  wet 
white  stockings  and  slippers  ?  And  why  that  Gothic  arch 
of  front  and  a  boy 's  hat  ?  That 's  what  I  simply  ask  ;  " 
and  the  youngest  daughter  of  Colonel  Preston  rose  from  the 
table,  shook  out  the  skirt  of  her  pretty  morning  dress,  and, 
placing  her  little  thumbs  in  the  belt  of  her  smart  waist, 
paused  witheringly  for  a  reply. 

"  You  are  most  unfair,  my  child,"  returned  Colonel 
Preston  gravely.  "  Her  giving  food  and  clothes  to  a  de- 
serter may  have  been  only  an  ordinary  instinct  of  humanity 
towards  a  fellow  creature  who  appeared  to  be  suffering,  to 
say  nothing  of  M'Caffrey's  plausible  tongue.  But  her 
periling  her  life  to  save  him  from  an  unjust  accusation,  and 
her  desire  to  shield  her  brother's  pride  from  ridicule,  is 
altogether  praiseworthy  and  extraordinary.  And  the  moral 
influence  of  her  kindness  was  strong  enough  to  make  that 
scamp  refuse  to  tell  the  plain  truth  that  might  implicate  her 
in  an  indiscretion,  though  it  saved  him  from  state  prison." 

"  He  knew  you  would  n't  believe  him  if  he  had  said  the 
clothes  were  given  to  him,"  retorted  Miss  Cicely,  "  so  I 


436  THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MARSH 

don't  see  where  the  moral  influence  comes  in.  As  to  her 
periling  her  life,  those  Marsh  people  are  amphibious  any- 
way, or  would  be  in  those  clothes.  And  as  to  her  motive, 
why,  papa,  I  heard  you  say  in  this  very  room,  and  after- 
wards to  Mr.  Calvert,  when  you  gave  him  instructions,  that 
you  believed  those  Culpeppers  were  capable  of  enticing 
away  deserters ;  and  you  forget  the  fuss  you  had  with  her 
savage  brother's  lawyer  about  that  water  front,  and  how 
you  said  it  was  such  people  who  kept  up  the  irritation  be- 
tween the  Civil  and  Federal  power. " 

The  colonel  coughed  hurriedly.  It  is  the  fate  of  all 
great  organizers,  military  as  well  as  civil,  to  occasionally 
suffer  defeat  in  the  family  circle. 

"  The  more  reason,"  he  said  soothingly,  "  why  we  should 
correct  harsh  judgments  that  spring  from  mere  rumors. 
You  should  give  yourself  at  least  the  chance  of  overcoming 
your  prejudices,  my  child.  Remember,  too,  that  she  is 
now  the  guest  of  the  Fort." 

"  And  she  chooses  to  stay  with  Mrs.  Bromley  !  I  'm 
sure  it 's  quite  enough  for  you  and  mamma  to  do  duty  — 
and  Emily,  who  wants  to  know  why  Mr.  Calvert  raves 
so  about  her  —  without  my  going  over  there  to  stare." 

Colonel  Preston  shook  his  head  reproachfully,  but  event- 
ually retired,  leaving  the  field  to  the  enemy.  The  enemy, 
a  little  pink  in  the  cheeks,  slightly  tossed  the  delicate  rings 
of  its  blonde  crest,  settled  its  skirts  again  at  the  piano,  but 
after  turning  over  the  leaves  of  its  music  book,  rose,  and 
walked  pettishly  to  the  window.. 

But  here  a  spectacle  presented  itself  that  for  a  moment 
dismissed  all  other  thoughts  from  the  girl's  rebellious 
mind. 

Not  a  dozen  yards  away,  on  the  wind-swept  parade,  a 
handsome  young  fellow,  apparently  halted  by  the  sentry, 
had  impetuously  turned  upon  him  in  an  attitude  of  indig- 
nant and  haughty  surprise.  To  the  quick  fancy  of  the  girl 


THE  HERITAGE  OF  DEDLOW  MAESH       437 

it  seemed  as  if  some  disguised  rustic  god  had  been  startled 
by  the  challenge  of  a  mortal.  Under  an  oilskin  hat,  like 
the  petasus  of  Hermes,  pushed  back  from  his  white  fore- 
head, crisp  black  curls  were  knotted  around  a  head  whose 
beardless  face  was  perfect  as  a  cameo  cutting.  In  a  close- 
fitting  blue  woolen  jersey  under  his  open  jacket  the  clear 
outlines  and  youthful  grace  of  his  upper  figure  were  revealed 
as  clearly  as  in  a  statue.  Long  fishing-boots  reaching  to  his 
thighs  scarcely  concealed  the  symmetry  of  his  lower  limbs. 
Cricket  and  lawn-tennis,  knickerbockers  and  flannels  had 
not  at  that  period  familiarized  the  female  eye  to  unfettered 
masculine  outline,  and  Cicely  Preston,  accustomed  to  the 
artificial  smartness  and  regularity  of  uniform,  was  perhaps 
the  more  impressed  by  the  stranger's  lawless  grace. 

The  sentry  had  repeated  his  challenge  ;  an  angry  flush 
was  deepening  on  the  intruder's  cheek.  At  this  critical 
moment  Cicely  threw  open  the  French  windows  and  stepped 
upon  the  veranda. 

The  sentry  saluted  the  familiar  little  figure  of  his  colo- 
nel's daughter  with  an  explanatory  glance  at  the  stranger. 
The  young  fellow  looked  up  —  and  the  god  became  human. 

"  I  'm  looking  for  my  sister,"  he  said  half  awkwardly, 
half  defiantly  ;  "  she  's  here,  somewhere." 

"  Yes  —  and  perfectly  safe,  Mr.  Culpepper,  I  think," 
said  the  arch-hypocrite  with  dazzling  sweetness ;  "  and 
we're  all  so  delighted.  And  so  brave  and  plucky  and 
skillful  in  her  to  come  all  that  way  —  and  for  such  a  pur- 
pose." 

"Then  —  you  know  —  all  about  it"  —stammered  Jim, 
more  relieved  than  he  had  imagined  —  "  and  that  I "  — 

"That  you  were  quite  ignorant  of  your  sister  helping 
the  deserter.  Oh  yes,  of  course,"  said  Cicely,  with  bewil- 
dering promptitude.  "  You  see,  Mr.  Culpepper,  we  girls 
are  so  foolish.  I  dare  say  I  should  have  done  the  same 
thing  in  her  place,  only  /  should  never  have  had  the  cour- 


438  THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MARSH 

age  to  do  what  she  did  afterwards.  You  really  must  for- 
give her.  But  won't  you  come  in  —  do."  She  stepped 
back,  holding  the  window  open  with  the  half-coaxing  air  of 
a  spoiled  child.  "  This  way  is  quickest.  Do  come."  As 
he  still  hesitated,  glancing  from  her  to  the  house,  she  added, 
with  a  demure  little  laugh,  "Oh,  I  forget  —  this  is  Colonel 
Preston's  quarters,  and  I  'm  his  daughter." 

And  this  dainty  little  fairy,  so  natural  in  manner,  so 
tasteful  in  attire,  was  one  of  the  artificial  over-dressed 
creatures  that  his  sister  had  inveighed  against  so  bitterly  ! 
Was  Maggie  really  to  be  trusted  ?  This  new  revelation 
coming  so  soon  after  the  episode  of  the  deserter  staggered 
him.  Nevertheless  he  hesitated,  looking  up  with  a  certain 
boyish  timidity  into  Cicely's  dangerous  eyes. 

"  Is  —  is  —  my  sister  there  ?  " 

"I'm  expecting  her  with  my  mother  every  moment," 
responded  this  youthful  but  ingenious  diplomatist  sweetly  ; 
"  she  might  be  here  now ;  but,"  she  added  with  a  sudden 
heart-broken  flash  of  sympathy,  "  I  know  how  anxious  you 
both  must  be.  I'll  take  you  to  her  now.  Only  one  mo- 
ment, please."  The  opportunity  of  leading  this  handsome 
savage  as  it  were  in  chains  across  the  parade,  before  every- 
body, her  father,  her  mother,  her  sister,  and  his  —  was  not 
to  be  lost.  She  darted  into  the  house,  and  reappeared  with 
the  daintiest  imaginable  straw  hat  on  the  side  of  her  head, 
and  demurely  took  her  place  at  his  side.  "It's  only  over 
there,  at  Major  Bromley's,"  she  said,  pointing  to  one  of  the 
vine-clad  cottage  quarters ;  "  but  you  are  a  stranger  here, 
you  know,  and  might  get  lost." 

Alas !  he  was  already  that.  For  keeping  step  with  those 
fairy-like  slippers,  brushing  awkwardly  against  that  fresh 
and  pretty  skirt,  and  feeling  the  caress  of  the  soft  folds, 
looking  down  upon  the  brim  of  that  beribboned  little  hat, 
and  more  often  meeting  the  upturned  blue  eyes  beneath  it, 
Jim  was  suddenly  struck  with  a  terrible  conviction  of  his 


THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW   MARSH  439 

own  contrasting  coarseness  and  deficiencies.  How  hideous 
those  oiled  canvas  fishing-trousers  and  pilot  jacket  looked 
beside  this  perfectly  fitted  and  delicately  gowned  girl !  He 
loathed  his  collar,  his  jersey,  his  turned-back  sou'wester, 
even  his  height,  which  seemed  to  hulk  beside  her  —  every- 
thing, in  short,  that  the  girl  had  recently  admired.  By  the 
time  that  they  had  reached  Major  Bromley's  door  he  had  so 
far  succumbed  to  the  fair  enchantress  and  realized  her  ambi- 
tion of  a  triumphant  procession,  that  when  she  ushered  him 
into  the  presence  of  half  a  dozen  ladies  and  gentlemen  he 
scarcely  recognized  his  sister  as  the  centre  of  attraction,  or 
knew  that  Miss  Cicely's  effusive  greeting  of  Maggie  was  her 
first  one.  "  I  knew  he  was  dying  to  see  you  after  all  you 
had  both  passed  through,  and  I  brought  him  straight  here," 
said  the  diminutive  Machiavelli,  meeting  the  astonished 
gaze  of  her  father  and  the  curious  eyes  of  her  sister  with 
perfect  calmness,  while  Maggie,  full  of  gratitude  and  admi- 
ration of  her  handsome  brother,  forgot  his  momentary  oblivi- 
ousness,  and  returned  her  greeting  warmly.  Nevertheless, 
there  was  a  slight  movement  of  reserve  among  the  gentle- 
men at  the  unlooked-for  irruption  of  this  sunburnt  Adonis, 
until  Calvert,  disengaging  himself  from  Maggie's  side,  came 
forward  with  his  usual  frank  imperturbability  and  quiet 
tact,  and  claimed  Jim  as  his  friend  and  honored  guest. 

It  then  came  out  with  that  unostentatious  simplicity 
which  characterized  the  brother  and  sister,  and  was  their 
secure  claim  to  perfect  equality  with  their  entertainers,  that 
Jim,  on  discovering  his  sister's  absence,  and  fearing  that 
she  might  be  carried  by  the  current  towards  the  bar,  had 
actually  swum  the  estuary  to  Indian  Island,  and  in  an 
ordinary  Indian  canoe  had  braved  the  same  tempestuous 
passage  she  had  taken  a  few  hours  before.  Cicely,  listen- 
ing to  this  recital  with  rapt  attention,  nevertheless  managed 
to  convey  the  impression  of  having  fully  expected  it  from 
the  first.  "  Of  course  he  'd  have  come  here  ;  if  she  'd  only 
waited,"  she  said,  sotto  voce,  to  her  sister  Emily. 


440  THE   HERITAGE   OF   DEDLOW   MARSH 

"  He 's  certainly  the  handsomer  of  the  two,"  responded 
that  young  lady. 

"  Of  course,"  returned  Cicely  with  a  superior  air,  "  don't 
you  see  she  copies  him?" 

Not  that  this  private  criticism  prevented  either  from 
vying  with  the  younger  officers  in  their  attentions  to  Maggie, 
with  perhaps  the  addition  of  an  open  eulogy  of  her  hand- 
some brother,  more  or  less  invidious  in  comparison  to  the 
officers.  "  I  suppose  it 's  an  active  out-of-door  life  gives 
him  that  perfect  grace  and  freedom,"  said  Emily,  with  a 
slight  sneer  at  the  smartly  belted  Calvert.  "  Yes  ;  and  he 
don't  drink  or  keep  late  hours,"  responded  Cicely  signifi- 
cantly. "  His  sister  says  they  always  retire  before  ten 
o'clock,  and  that  although  his  father  left  him  some  valuable 
whiskey  he  seldom  takes  a  drop  of  it."  "  Therein,"  gravely 
concluded  Captain  Kirby,  "  lies  our  salvation.  If,  after 
such  a  confession,  Calvert  does  n't  make  the  most  of  his 
acquaintance  with  young  Culpepper  to  remove  that  whiskey 
from  his  path  and  bring  it  here,  he  's  not  the  man  I  take 
him  for." 

Indeed,  for  the  moment  it  seemed  as  if  he  was  not.  Dur- 
ing the  next  three  or  four  days,  in  which  Colonel  Preston 
had  insisted  upon  detaining  his  guests,  Calvert  touched  no 
liquor,  evaded  the  evening  poker  parties  at  quarters,  and 
even  prevailed  upon  some  of  his  brother  officers  to  give 
them  up  for  the  more  general  entertainment  of  the  ladies. 
Colonel  Preston  was  politician  enough  to  avail  himself  of  the 
popularity  of  Maggie's  adventure  to  invite  some  of  the  Log- 
port  people  to  assist  him  in  honoring  their  neighbor.  Not 
only  was  the  old  feud  between  the  Fort  and  the  people  thus 
bridged  over,  but  there  was  no  doubt  that  the  discipline  of  the 
Fort  had  been  strengthened  by  Maggie's  extravagant  reputa- 
tion as  a  mediator  among  the  disaffected  rank  and  file.  What- 
ever characteristic  license  the  grateful  Dennis  M'Caffrey  — 
let  off  with  a  nominal  punishment  —  may  have  taken  in  his 


THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MARSH  441 

praise  of  the  "  Quane  of  the  Marshes/'  it  is  certain  that  the 
men  worshiped  her,  and  that  the  band  pathetically  begged 
permission  to  serenade  her  the  last  night  of  her  stay. 

At  the  end  of  that  time,  with  a  dozen  invitations,  a 
dozen  appointments,  a  dozen  vows  of  eternal  friendship, 
much  hand-shaking,  and  accompanied  by  a  number  of  the 
officers  to  their  boat,  Maggie  and  Jim  departed.  They 
talked  but  little  on  their  way  home ;  by  some  tacit  under- 
standing they  did  not  discuss  those  projects,  only  recalling 
certain  scenes  and  incidents  of  their  visit.  By  the  time 
they  had  reached  the  little  creek  the  silence  and  nervous 
apathy  which  usually  follow  excitement  in  the  young  seemed 
to  have  fallen  upon  them.  It  was  not  until  after  their 
quiet  frugal  supper  that,  seated  beside  the  fire,  Jim  looked 
up  somewhat  self-consciously  in  his  sister's  grave  and 
thoughtful  face. 

"  Say,  Mag,  what  was  that  idea  o'  yours  about  selling 
some  land,  and  taking  a  house  at  Logport  ?  " 

Maggie  looked  up,  and  said  passively,  "  Oh,  that 
idea  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"Why?" 

"  Well,"  said  Jim  somewhat  awkwardly,  "  it  could  be 
done,  you  know.  I  'm  willin'." 

As  she  did  not  immediately  reply,  he  continued  uneasily, 
"  Miss  Preston  says  we  kin  get  a  nice  little  house  that  is 
near  the  Fort,  until  we  want  to  build." 

"  Oh,  then  you  have  talked  about  it  ?  " 

"  Yes  —  that  is  —  why,  what  are  ye  thinkin'  of,  Mag  ? 
Was  n't  it  your  idea  all  along  ?  "  he  said,  suddenly  facing 
her  with  querulous  embarrassment.  They  had  been  sitting 
in  their  usual  evening  attitudes  of  Assyrian  frieze  profile, 
with  even  more  than  the  usual  Assyrian  frieze  similarity 
of  feature. 

"  Yes  j  but,  Jim  dear,  do  you  think  it  the  best  thing 


442  THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MARSH 

for  —  for  us  to  do  ?  "  said  Maggie,  with  half -frightened 
gravity. 

At  this  sudden  and  startling  exhibition  of  female  incon- 
sistency and  inconsequence,  Jim  was  for  a  moment  speech- 
less. Then  he  recovered  himself,  volubly,  aggrievedly,  and 
on  his  legs.  What  did  she  mean  ?  Was  he  to  give  up 
understanding  girls  —  or  was  it  their  sole  vocation  in  life 
to  impede  masculine  processes  and  shipwreck  masculine  con- 
clusions ?  Here,  after  all  she  said  the  other  night,  after 
they  had  nearly  "  quo'lled "  over  her  "  set  idees,"  after 
she  'd  "  gone  over  all  that  foolishness  about  Jael  and  Sisera 
—  and  there  was  n't  any  use  for  it  —  after  she  Jd  let  him 
run  on  to  them  officers  all  he  was  goin'  to  do  —  nay,  after 
she  herself,  for  he  had  heard  her,  had  talked  to  Calvert 
about  it,  she  wanted  to  know  now  if  it  was  best.'7  He 
looked  at  the  floor  and  the  ceiling,  as  if  expecting  the 
tongued  and  grooved  planks  to  cry  out  at  this  crowning 
enormity. 

The  cause  of  it  had  resumed  her  sad  gaze  at  the  fire. 
Presently,  without  turning  her  head,  she  reached  up  her 
long,  graceful  arm,  and,  clasping  her  brother's  neck,  brought 
his  face  down  in  profile  with  her  own,  cheek  against  cheek, 
until  they  looked  like  the  double  outlines  of  a  medallion. 
Then  she  said  —  to  the  fire  :  — 

"  Jim,  do  you  think  she 's  pretty  ?  " 

"  Who  ? "  said  Jim,  albeit  his  color  had  already  an- 
swered the  question. 

"  You  know  who.     Do  you  like  her  ?  " 

Jim  here  vaguely  murmured  to  the  fire  that  he  thought 
her  ''kinder  nice/'  and  that  she  dressed  mighty  purty. 
"  Ye  know,  Mag,"  he  said  with  patronizing  effusion,  "  you 
oughter  get  some  gownds  like  hers.'7 

"  That  would  n't  make  me  like  her,"  said  Maggie 
gravely. 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,"  said  Jim  politely,  but  with 


THE   HERITAGE   OF   DEDLOW   MAESH  443 

an  appalling  hopelessness  of  tone.  After  a  pause  he  added 
slyly,  "  'Pears  to  me  somebody  else  thought  somebody  else 
mighty  party  —  eh  ?  " 

To  his  discomfiture  she  did  not  solicit  further  informa- 
tion. After  a  pause  he  continued,  still  more  archly  :  — 

"  Do  you  like  him,  Mag  ?  " 

"  I  think  he 's  a  perfect  gentleman,"  she  said  calmly. 

He  turned  his  eyes  quickly  from  the  glowing  fire  to  her 
face.  The  cheek  that  had  been  resting  against  his  own 
was  as  cool  as  the  night  wind  that  came  through  the  open 
door,  and  the  whole  face  was  as  fixed  and  tranquil  as  the 
upper  stars. 


FOB  a  year  the  tide  had  ebbed  and  flowed  on  the  Ded- 
low  Marsh  unheeded  before  the  sealed  and  sightless  win- 
dows of  the  "  Kingfisher's  Nest."  Since  the  young  birds 
had  flown  to  Logport,  even  the  Indian  caretakers  had 
abandoned  the  piled  dwelling  for  their  old  nomadic  haunts 
in  the  "  bresh."  The  high  spring  tide  had  again  made  its 
annual  visit  to  the  little  cemetery  of  driftwood,  and,  as  if 
recognizing  another  wreck  in  the  deserted  home,  had  hung 
a  few  memorial  offerings  on  the  blackened  piles,  softly 
laid  a  garland  of  grayish  drift  before  it,  and  then  sobbed  it- 
self out  in  the  salt  grass. 

From  time  to  time  the  faint  echoes  of  the  Culpeppers' 
life  at  Logport  reached  the  upland,  and  the  few  neighbors 
who  had  only  known  them  by  hearsay  shook  their  heads 
over  the  extravagance  they  as  yet  only  knew  by  report. 
But  it  was  in  the  dead  ebb  of  the  tide  and  the  waning  day- 
light that  the  feathered  tenants  of  the  Marsh  seemed  to 
voice  dismal  prophecies  of  the  ruin  of  their  old  master  and 
mistress,  and  to  give  themselves  up  to  gloomiest  lamenta- 
tion and  querulous  foreboding.  Whether  the  traditional 
"  bird  of  the  air  "  had  intrusted  his  secret  to  a  few  orni- 
thological friends,  or  whether  from  a  natural  disposition  to 
take  gloomy  views  of  life,  it  was  certain  that  at  this  hour 
the  vocal  expression  of  the  Marsh  was  hopeless  and  despair- 
ing. It  was  then  that  a  dejected  plover,  addressing  a 
mocking  crew  of  sandpipers  on  a  floating  log,  seemed  to  be- 
wail the  fortune  that  was  being  swallowed  up  by  the  riot- 
ous living  and  gambling  debts  of  Jim.  It  was  then  that 


THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW   MARSH  445 

the  querulous  crane  rose,  and  testily  protested  against  the 
selling  of  his  favorite  haunt  in  the  sandy  peninsula,  which 
only  six  months  of  Jim's  excesses  had  made  imperative. 
It  was  then  that  a  mournful  curlew,  who,  with  the  preface 
that  he  had  always  been  really  expecting  it,  reiterated  the 
story  that  Jim  had  been  seen  more  than  once  staggering 
home  with  nervous  hands  and  sodden  features  from  a  debauch 
with  the  younger  officers ;  it  was  the  same  desponding  fowl 
who  knew  that  Maggie's  eyes  had  more  than  once  filled 
with  tears  at  Jim's  failings,  and  had  already  grown  more 
hollow  with  many  watchings.  It  was  a  flock  of  wrangling 
teal  that  screamingly  discussed  the  small  scandals,  jealous 
heart-burnings,  and  curious  backbitings  that  had  attended 
Maggie's  advent  into  society.  It  was  the  high  flying  brent 
who,  knowing  how  the  sensitive  girl,  made  keenly  con- 
scious at  every  turn  of  her  defective  training  and  ingenuous 
ignorance,  had  often  watched  their  evening  flight  with 
longing  gaze,  now  "  honked  "  dismally  at  the  recollection. 
It  was  at  this  hour  and  season  that  the  usual  vague  la- 
meritings  of  Dedlow  Mqrsh  seemed  to  find  at  last  a  preor- 
dained expression.  And  it  was  at  such  a  time,  when 
light  and  water  were  both  fading,  and  the  blackness  of  the 
Marsh  was  once  more  reasserting  itself,  that  a  small  boat 
was  creeping  along  one  of  the  tortuous  inlets,  at  times  half 
hiding  behind  the  bank  like  a  wounded  bird.  As  it  slowly 
penetrated  inland  it  seemed  to  be  impelled  by  its  solitary 
occupant  in  a  hesitating,  uncertain  way,  as  if  to  escape  ob- 
servation rather  than  as  if  directed  to  any  positive  bourn. 
Stopping  beside  a  bank  of  reeds  at  last,  the  figure  rose 
stoopingly,  and  drew  a  gun  from  between  its  feet  and  the 
bottom  of  the  boat.  As  the  light  fell  upon  its  face,  it 
could  be  seen  that  it  was  James  Culpepper  !  James  Cul- 
pepper !  hardly  recognizable  in  the  swollen  features,  blood- 
shot eyes,  and  tremulous  hands  of  that  ruined  figure  !  James 
Culpepper,  only  retaining  a  single  trace  of  his  former  self 


446  THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MARSH 

in  his  look  of  set  and  passionate  purpose !  And  that  pur- 
pose was  to  kill  himself  —  to  be  found  dead,  as  his  father 
had  been  before  him  —  in  an  open  boat,  adrift  upon  the 
Marsh  ! 

It  was  not  the  outcome  of  a  sudden  fancy.  The  idea  had 
first  come  to  him  in  a  taunting  allusion  from  the  drunken 
lips  of  one  of  his  ruder  companions,  for  which  he  had 
stricken  the  offender  to  the  earth.  It  had  since  haunted 
his  waking  hours  of  remorse  and  hopeless  fatuity  ;  it  had 
seemed  to  be  the  one  relief  and  atonement  he  could  make 
'his  devoted  sister ;  and,  more  fatuous  than  all,  it  seemed  to 
the  miserable  boy  the  one  revenge  he  would  take  upon  the 
faithless  coquette,  who  for  a  year  had  played  with  his  sim- 
plicity, and  had  helped  to  drive  him  to  the  distraction  of 
cards  and  drink.  Only  that  morning  Colonel  Preston  had 
forbidden  him  the  house ;  and  now  it  seemed  to  him  the 
end  had  come.  He  raised  his  distorted  face  above  the 
reedy  bank  for  a  last  tremulous  and  half -frightened  glance 
at  the  landscape  he  was  leaving  forever.  A  glint  in  the 
western  sky  lit  up  the  front  of  his  deserted  dwelling  in  the 
distance,  abreast  of  which  the  windings  of  the  inlet  had 
unwittingly  led  him.  As  he  looked  he  started,  and  involun- 
tarily dropped  into  a  crouching  attitude.  For  to  his  su- 
perstitious terror,  the  sealed  windows  of  his  old  home  were 
open,  the  bright  panes  were  glittering  with  the  fading  light, 
and  on  the  outer  gallery  the  familiar  figure  of  his  sister 
stood,  as  of  old,  awaiting  his  return  !  Was  he  really  going 
mad,  or  had  this  last  vision  of  his  former  youth  been  pur- 
posely vouchsafed  him  ? 

But  even  as  he  gazed,  the  appearance  of  another  figure  in 
the  landscape  beyond  the  house  proved  the  reality  of  his 
vision,  and  as  suddenly  distracted  him  from  all  else.  For 
it  was  the  apparition  of  a  man  on  horseback  approaching 
the  house  from  the  upland ;  and  even  at  that  distance  he 
recognized  its  well-known  outlines.  It  was  Calvert !  Cal- 


THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MARSH  447 

vert  the  traitor  !  Calvert,  the  man  whom  he  had  long  sus- 
pected as  being  the  secret  lover  and  destined  husband  of 
Cicely  Preston  !  Calvert,  who  had  deceived  him  with  his 
calm  equanimity  and  his  affected  preference  for  Maggie,  to 
conceal  his  deliberate  understanding  with  Cicely.  What 
was  he  doing  here  ?  Was  he  a  double  traitor,  and  now 
trying  to  deceive  her  —  as  he  had  him  ?  And  Maggie  here ! 
This  sudden  return  —  this  preconcerted  meeting.  It  was 
infamy  ! 

For  a  moment  he  remained  stupefied,  and  then,  with  a 
mechanical  instinct,  plunged  his  head  and  face  in  the  lazy- 
flowing  water,  and  then  once  again  rose  cool  and  collected. 
The  half-mad  distraction  of  his  previous  resolve  had  given 
way  to  another,  more  deliberate,  but  not  less  desperate 
determination.  He  knew  now  why  he  came  there  —  why 
he  had  brought  his  gun  —  why  his  boat  had  stopped  when 
it  did ! 

Lying  flat  in  the  bottom,  he  tore  away  fragments  of  the 
crumbling  bank  to  fill  his  frail  craft,  until  he  had  sunk  it 
to  the  gunwale,  and  below  the  low  level  of  the  Marsh. 
Then,  using  his  hands  as  noiseless  paddles,  he  propelled 
this  rude  imitation  of  a  floating  log  slowly  past  the  line  of 
vision,  until  the  tongue  of  bushes  had  hidden  him  from 
view.  With  a  rapid  glance  at  the  darkening  flat,  he  then 
seized  his  gun,  and  springing  to  the  spongy  bank,  half 
crouching,  half  crawling  through  reeds  and  tussocks,  he 
made  his  way  to  the  brush.  A  foot  and  eye  less  experi- 
enced would  have  plunged  its  owner  helpless  in  the  black 
quagmire.  At  one  edge  of  the  thicket  he  heard  hoofs  tram- 
pling the  dried  twigs.  Calvert's  horse  was  already  there, 
tied  to  a  skirting  alder. 

He  ran  to  the  house,  but,  instead  of  attracting  attention 
by  ascending  the  creaking  steps,  made  his  way  to  the  piles 
below  the  rear  gallery  and  climbed  to  it  noiselessly.  It  was 
the  spot  where  the  deserter  had  ascended  a  year  ago,  and, 


448       THE  HERITAGE  OF  DEDLOW  MARSH 

like  him,  he  could  see  and  hear  all  that  passed  distinctly. 
Calvert  stood  near  the  open  door  as  if  departing.  Maggie* 
stood  between  him  and  the  window,  her  face  in  shadow,  her 
hands  clasped  tightly  behind  her.  A  profound  sadness, 
partly  of  the  dying  day  and  waning  light,  and  partly  of  some 
vague  expiration  of  their  own  sorrow,  seemed  to  encompass 
them.  Without  knowing  why,  a  strange  trembling  took 
the  place  of  James  Culpepper's  fierce  determination,  and  a 
film  of  moisture  stole  across  his  staring  eyes. 

"  When  I  tell  you  that  I  believe  all  this  will  pass,  and 
that  you  will  still  win  your  brother  back  to  you,"  said 
Calvert's  sad  but  clear  voice,  "  I  will  tell  you  why  — 
although,  perhaps,  it  is  only  a  part  of  that  confidence  you 
command  me  to  withhold.  When  I  first  saw  you,  I  myself 
had  fallen  into  like  dissolute  habits ;  less  excusable  than  he, 
for  I  had  some  experience  of  the  world  and  its  follies.  When 
I  met  you,  and  fell  under  the  influence  of  your  pure,  simple, 
and  healthy  life ;  when  I  saw  that  isolation,  monotony, 
misunderstanding,  even  the  sense  of  superiority  to  one's 
surroundings,  could  be  lived  down  and  triumphed  over,  with- 
out vulgar  distractions  or  pitiful  ambitions ;  when  I  learned 
to  love  you  —  hear  me  out,  Miss  Culpepper,  I  beg  you  — 
you  saved  me  —  I,  who  was  nothing  to  you,  even  as  I  hon- 
estly believe  you  will  still  save  your  brother  whom  you  love." 

"  How  do  you  know  I  did  n't  ruin  him  ? "  she  said, 
turning  upon  him  bitterly.  "  How  do  you  know  that  it 
was  n't  to  get  rid  of  our  monotony,  our  solitude,  that  I  drove 
him  to  this  vulgar  distraction,  this  pitiful  —  yes,  you  were 
right  —  pitiful  ambition  ?  " 

"  Because  it  is  n't  your  real  nature,"  he  said  quietly. 

"  My  real  nature,"  she  repeated  with  a  half  savage  vehe- 
mence that  seemed  to  be  goaded  from  her  by  his  very 
gentleness,  "my  real  nature  !  What  did  he  —  what  do  you 
know  of  it  ?  —  My  real  nature  !  —  I  '11  tell  you  what  it 
was,"  she  went  on  passionately.  "  It  was  to  be  revenged 


THE   HERITAGE   OF   DEDLOW   MARSH  449 

on  you  all  for  your  cruelty,  your  heartlessness,  your  wicked- 
ness to  me  and  mine  in  the  past.  It  was  to  pay  you  off  for 
your  slanders  of  my  dead  father  —  for  the  selfishness  that 
left  me  and  Jim  alone  with  his  dead  body  on  the  Marsh. 
That  was  what  sent  me  to  Logport  —  to  get  even  with  you 
—  to  —  to  fool  and  flaunt  you  !  There,  you  have  it  now  ! 
And  now  that  God  has  punished  me  for  it  by  crushing  my 
brother  —  you  —  you  expect  me  to  let  you  crush  me  too." 

"  But,"  he  said  eagerly,  advancing  toward  her,  "  you  are 
wronging  me  —  you  are  wronging  yourself  cruelly." 

"  Stop,"  she  said,  stepping  back,  with  her  hands  still 
locked  behind  her.  "  Stay  where  you  are.  There  !  That 's 
enough  !  "  She  drew  herself  up  and  let  her  hands  fall  at 
her  side.  "  Now,  let  us  speak  of  Jim,"  she  said  coldly. 

Without  seeming  to  hear  her,  he  regarded  her  for  the 
first  time  with  hopeless  sadness. 

"  Why  did  you  let  my  brother  believe  you  were  his  rival 
with  Cicely  Preston  ?  "  she  asked  impatiently. 

"  Because  I  could  not  undeceive  him  without  telling  him. 
I  hopelessly  loved  his  sister.  You  are  proud,  Miss  Culpep- 
per,"  he  said,  with  the  first  tinge  of  bitterness  in  his  even 
voice.  "  Can  you  not  understand  that  others  may  be  proud 
too  ?  " 

"  No,"  she  said  bluntly ;  "  it  is  not  pride  but  weakness. 
You  could  have  told  him  what  you  knew  to  be  true :  that 
there  could  be  nothing  in  common  between  her  folk  and 
such  savages  as  we  ;  that  there  was  a  gulf  as  wide  as  that 
Marsh  and  as  black  between  our  natures,  our  training  and 
theirs ;  and  even  if  they  came  to  us  across  it,  now  and  then, 
to  suit  their  pleasure,  light  and  easy  as  that  tide  —  it  was 
still  there  to  some  day  ground  and  swamp  them !  And  if 
he  doubted  it,  you  had  only  to  tell  him  your  own  story. 
You  had  only  to  tell  him  what  you  have  just  told  me  — 
that  you  yourself,  an  officer  and  a  gentleman,  thought  you 
loved  me,  a  vulgar,  uneducated,  savage  girl,  and  that  I, 


450  THE   HERITAGE   OF  DEDLOW  MARSH 

kinder  to  you  than  you  to  me  or  him,  made  you  take  it  back 
across  that  tide,  because  I  could  n't  let  you  link  your  life 
with  me,  and  drag  you  in  the  mire." 

"You  need  not  have  said  that,  Miss  Culpepper,"  returned 
Calvert  with  the  same  gentle  smile,  "  to  prove  that  I  am 
your  inferior  in  all  but  one  thing." 

"  And  that  ?  "  she  said  quickly. 

"Is  my  love." 

His  gentle  face  was  as  set  now  as  her  own  as  he  moved 
-back  slowly  towards  the  door.  There  he  paused. 

"  You  tell  me  to  speak  of  Jim,  and  Jim  only.  Then 
hear  me.  I  believe  that  Miss  Preston  cares  for  him  as  far 
as  lies  in  her  young  and  giddy  nature.  I  could  not,  there- 
fore, have  crushed  his  hope  without  deceiving  him,  for  there 
are  as  cruel  deceits  prompted  by  what  we  call  reason  as  by 
our  love.  If  you  think  that  a  knowledge  of  this  plain  truth 
would  help  to  save  him,  I  beg  you  to  be  kinder  to  him 
than  you  have  been  to  me, —  or  even,  let  me  dare  to  hope, 
to  yourself." 

He  slowly  crossed  the  threshold,  still  holding  his  cap 
lightly  in  his  hand. 

"  When  I  tell  you  that  I  am  going  away  to-morrow  on  a 
leave  of  absence,  and  that  in  all  probability  we  may  not 
meet  again,  you  will  not  misunderstand  why  I  add  my 
prayer  to  the  message  your  friends  in  Logport  charged  me 
with.  They  beg  that  you  will  give  up  your  idea  of  return- 
ing here,  and  come  back  to  them.  Believe  me,  you  have 
made  yourself  loved  and  respected  there,  in  spite  —  I  beg 
pardon  —  perhaps  I  should  say  because  of  your  pride. 
Good-night  and  good-by." 

For  a  single  instant  she  turned  her  set  face  to  the  win- 
dow with  a  sudden  convulsive  movement,  as  if  she  would 
have  called  him  back,  but  at  the  same  moment  the  opposite 
door  creaked  and  her  brother  slipped  into  the  room. 
Whether  a  quick  memory  of  the  deserter's  entrance  at  that 


THE  HERITAGE  OF  DEDLOW  MARSH       451 

door  a  year  ago  had  crossed  her  mind,  whether  there  was 
some  strange  suggestion  in  his  mud-stained  garments  and 
weak,  deprecating  smile,  or  whether  it  was  the  outcome  of 
some  desperate  struggle  within  her,  there  was  that  in  her 
face  that  changed  his  smile  into  a  frightened  cry  for  pardon, 
as  he  ran  and  fell  on  his  knees  at  her  feet.  But  even  as 
he  did  so  her  stern  look  vanished,  and  with  her  arm  around 
him  she  bent  over  him  and  mingled  her  tears  with  his. 

"  I  heard  it  all,  Mag  dearest !  All !  Forgive  me  !  I 
have  been  crazy  !  —  wild  !  —  I  will  reform  !  —  I  will  be 
better !  I  will  never  disgrace  you  again,  Mag  !  Never, 
never  !  I  swear  it !  " 

She  reached  down  and  kissed  him.  After  a  pause,  a 
weak,  boyish  smile  struggled  into  his  face. 

"  You  heard  what  he  said  of  her,  Mag.  Do  you  think 
it  might  be  true  ?  " 

She  lifted  the  damp  curls  from  his  forehead  with  a  sad, 
half-maternal  smile,  but  did  not  reply. 

"  And  Mag,  dear,  don't  you  think  you  were  a  little  — 
just  a  little  —  hard  on  him  ?  No !  Don't  look  at  me 
that  way,  for  God's  sake  !  There,  I  did  n't  mean  anything. 
Of  course  you  knew  best.  There,  Maggie  dear,  look  up. 
Hark  there  !  Listen,  Mag,  do  !  " 

They  lifted  their  eyes  to  the  dim  distance  seen  through 
the  open  door.  Borne  on  the  fading  light,  and  seeming  to 
fall  and  die  with  it  over  marsh  and  river,  came  the  last 
notes  of  the  bugle  from  the  Fort. 

"  There  !  Don't  you  remember  what  you  used  to  say, 
Mag  ?  " 

The  look  that  had  frightened  him  had  quite  left  her  face 
now. 

"  Yes,"  she  smiled,  laying  her  cold  cheek  beside  his 
softly.  "  Oh  yes  !  It  was  something  that  came  and  went, 
1  Like  a  song  ' —  '  Like  a  song.'  " 


A  KNIGHT-ERRANT  OF  THE  FOOT-HILLS 

I 

As  Father  Felipe  slowly  toiled  up  the  dusty  road 
toward  the  Rancho  of  the  Blessed  Innocents,  he  more 
than  once  stopped  under  the  shadow  of  a  sycamore  to  rest 
his  somewhat  lazy  mule  and  to  compose  his  own  perplexed 
thoughts  by  a  few  snatches  from  his  breviary.  For  the 
good  padre  had  some  reason  to  be  troubled.  The  invasion 
of  Gentile  Americans  that  followed  the  gold  discovery  of 
three  years  before  had  not  confined  itself  to  the  plains  of 
the  Sacramento,  but  stragglers  had  already  found  their  way 
to  the  Santa  Cruz  Valley,  and  the  seclusion  of  even  the 
mission  itself  was  threatened.  It  was  true  that  they  had 
not  brought  their  heathen  engines  to  disembowel  the  earth 
in  search  of  gold,  but  it  was  rumored  that  they  had  already 
speculated  upon  the  agricultural  productiveness  of  the  land, 
arid  had  espied  "  the  fatness  thereof."  As  he  reached  the 
higher  plateau  he  could  see  the  afternoon  sea-fog  —  pres- 
ently to  obliterate  the  fair  prospect  —  already  pulling 
through  the  gaps  in  the  Coast  Range,  and  on  a  nearer  slope 
—  no.  less  ominously  —  the  smoke  of  a  recent  but  more  per- 
manently destructive  Yankee  saw  mill  was  slowly  drifting 
towards  the  valley. 

"  Get  up,  beast !  "  said  the  father,  digging  his  heels  into 
the  comfortable  flanks  of  his  mule  with  some  human  impa- 
tience, "  or  art  thou,  too,  a  lazy  renegade  ?  Thinkest  thou, 
besotted  one,  that  the  heretic  will  spare  thee  more  work 
than  the  Holy  Church  ?  " 


A  KNIGHT-ERRANT   OF   THE   FOOT-HILLS  453 

The  mule,  thus  apostrophized  in  ear  and  flesh,  shook  its 
head  obstinately  as  if  the  question  was  by  no  means  clear 
to  its  mind,  but  nevertheless  started  into  a  little  trot,  which 
presently  brought  it  to  the  low  adobe  wall  of  the  courtyard 
of  "  The  Innocents/'  and  entered  the  gate.  A  few  loung- 
ing peons  in  the  shadow  of  an  archway  took  off  their  broad- 
brimmed  hats  and  made  way  for  the  padre,  and  a  half- 
dozen  equally  listless  vaqueros  helped  him  to  alight.  Ac- 
customed as  he  was  to  the  indolence  and  superfluity  of  his 
host's  retainers,  to-day  it  nevertheless  seemed  to  strike 
some  note  of  irritation  in  his  breast. 

A  stout,  middle-aged  woman  of  ungirt  waist  and  be- 
shawled  head  and  shoulders  appeared  at  the  gateway  as  if 
awaiting  him.  After  a  formal  salutation  she  drew  him  aside 
into  an  inner  passage. 

"  He  is  away  again,  your  Reverence,"  she  said. 

"  Ah  —  always  the  same  ?  " 

"  Yes,  your  Eeverence  —  and  this  time  to  '  a  meeting ' 
of  the  heretics  at  their  pueblo,  at  Jonesville  —  where  they 
will  ask  him  of  his  land  for  a  road." 

"  At  a  meeting  ?  "    echoed  the  priest  uneasily. 

"  Ah  yes !  at  a  meeting  —  where  Tiburcio  says  they 
shout  and  spit  on  the  ground,  your  Reverence,  and  only  one 
has  a  chair  and  him  they  call  a  '  chairman '  because  of  it, 
and  yet  he  sits  not,  but  shouts  and  spits  even  as  the  others 
and  keeps  up  a  tapping  with  a  hammer  like  a  very  pico. 
And  there  it  is  they  are  ever  '  resolving '  that  which  is  not, 
and  consider  it  even  as  done." 

"  Then  he  is  still  the  same,"  said  the  priest  gloomily,  as 
the  woman  paused  for  breath. 

a  Only  more  so,  your  Reverence,  for  he  reads  naught  but 
the  newspaper  of  the  Americanos  that  is  brought  in  the 
ship,  the  '  New  York  'errald  '  —  and  recites  to  himself  the 
orations  of  their  legislators.  Ah  !  it  was  an  evil  day  when 
the  shipwrecked  American  sailor  taught  him  his  uncouth 


454  A  KNIGHT-ERRANT   OF  THE  FOOT-HILLS 

tongue,  which,  as  your  Reverence  knows,  is  only  fit  for 
beasts  and  heathen  incantation." 

"  Pray  Heaven  that  were  all  he  learned  of  him,"  said 
the  priest  hastily  ;  "  for  I  have  great  .fear  that  this  sailor 
was  little  better  than  an  atheist  and  an  emissary  from  Sa- 
tan. But  where  are  these  newspapers  and  the  fantasies 
of  publicita  that  fill  his  mind  ?  I  would  see  them,  my 
daughter.7' 

"  You  shall,  your  Reverence,  and  more  too,"  she  replied 
eagerly,  leading  the  way  along  the  passage  to  a  grated  door 
which  opened  upon  a  small  cell-like  apartment,  whose  scant 
light  and  less  air  came  through  the  deeply  embayed  win- 
dows in  the  outer  wall.  "  Here  is  his  estudio." 

In  spite  of  this  open  invitation,  the  padre  entered  with 
that  air  of  furtive  and  minute  inspection  common  to  his 
order.  His  glance  fell  upon  a  rude  surveyor's  plan  of  the 
adjacent  embryo  town  of  Jonesville  hanging  on  the  wall, 
which  he  contemplated  with  a  cold  disfavor  that  even  in- 
cluded the  highly  colored  vignette  of  the  projected  Jones- 
ville Hotel  in  the  left-hand  corner.  He  then  passed  to  a 
supervisor's  notice  hanging  near  it,  which  he  examined  with 
a  suspicion  heightened  by  that  uneasiness  common  to  mere 
worldly  humanity  when  opposed  to  an  unknown  and  unfa- 
miliar language.  But  an  exclamation  broke  from  his  lips 
when  he  confronted  an  election  placard  immediately  below 
it.  It  was  printed  in  Spanish  and  English,  and  Father 
Felipe  had  no  difficulty  in  reading  the  announcement  that 
"  Don  Jose  Sepulvida  would  preside  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Board  of  Education  in  Jonesville  as  one  of  the  trustees." 

"  This  is  madness,"  said  the  padre. 

Observing  that  Dona  Maria  was  at  the  moment  preoccu- 
pied in  examining  the  pictorial  pages  of  an  illustrated 
American  weekly  which  had  hitherto  escaped  his  eyes,  he 
took  it  gently  from  her  hand. 

"  Pardon,  your  Reverence,"  she  said  with  slightly  acidu- 


A  KNIGHT-ERRANT   OF   THE   FOOT-HILLS  455 

lous  deprecation,  "  but  thanks  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  and 
your  Reverence's  teaching,  the  text  is  but  gibberish  to  me 
and  I  did  but  glance  at  the  pictures." 

"  Much  evil  may  come  in  with  the  eye,"  said  the  priest 
sententiously,  "  as  I  will  presently  show  thee.  We  have 
here,"  he  continued,  pointing  to  an  illustration  of  certain 
college  athletic  sports,  "  a  number  of  youthful  cavaliers 
posturing  and  capering  in  a  partly  nude  condition  before  a 
number  of  shameless  women,  who  emulate  the  saturnalia 
of  heathen  Home  by  waving  their  handkerchiefs.  We  have 
here  a  companion  picture,"  he  said,  indicating  an  illustra- 
tion of  gymnastic  exercises  by  the  students  of  a  female 
academy  at  "  Commencement,"  "  in  which,  as  thou  seest, 
even  the  aged  of  both  sexes  unblushingly  assist  as  specta- 
tors with  every  expression  of  immodest  satisfaction." 

"Have  they  no  bull-fights  or  other  seemly  recreation 
that  they  must  indulge  in  such  wantonness  ?  "  asked  Dona 
Maria  indignantly,  gazing,  however,  somewhat  curiously  at 
the  baleful  representations. 

"  Of  all  that,  my  daughter,  has  their  pampered  civiliza- 
tion long  since  wearied,"  returned  the  good  padre  ;  "  for  see, 
this  is  what  they  consider  a  moral  and  even  a  religious 
ceremony."  He  turned  to  an  illustration  of  a  woman's 
rights  convention ;  "  observe  with  what  rapt  attention  the 
audience  of  that  heathen  temple  watch  the  inspired  ravings 
of  that  elderly  priestess  on  the  dais.  It  is  even  this  kind 
of  sacrilegious  performance  that  I  am  told  thy  nephew  Don 
Jose*  expounds  and  defends." 

"  May  the  blessed  saints  preserve  us ;  where  will  it  lead 
to  ?  "  murmured  the  horrified  Dona  Maria. 

"  I  will  show  thee,"  said  Father  Felipe,  briskly  turning 
the  pages  with  the  same  lofty  ignoring  of  the  text  until  he 
came  to  a  representation  of  a  labor  procession.  "  There  is 
one  of  their  periodic  revolutions  unhappily  not  unknown  even 
in  Mexico.  Thou  perceivest  those  complacent  artisans 


456  A   KNIGHT-ERRANT  OF   THE   FOOT-HILLS 

marching  with  implements  of  their  craft,  accompanied  by 
the  military,  in  the  presence  of  their  own  stricken  masters. 
Here  we  see  only  another  instance  of  the  instability  of  all 
communities  that  are  not  founded  on  the  principles  of  the 
Holy  Church." 

"  And  what  is  to  be  done  with  my  nephew  ?  " 

The  good  father's  brow  darkened  with  the  gloomy  reli- 
gious zeal  of  two  centuries  ago. 

"  We  must  have  a  council  of  the  family,  the  alcalde,  and 
the  archbishop  at  once"  he  said  ominously.  To  the  mere 
heretical  observer  the  conclusion  might  have  seemed  lame 
and  impotent,  but  it  was  as  near  the  Holy  Inquisition  as 
the  year  of  grace  1852  could  offer. 

A  few  days  after  this  colloquy  the  unsuspecting  subject 
of  it,  Don  Jose  Sepulvida,  was  sitting  alone  in  the  same 
apartment.  The  fading  glow  of  the  western  sky,  through 
the  deep  embrasured  windows,  lit  up  his  rapt  and  meditative 
face.  He  was  a  young  man  of  apparently  twenty-five,  with 
a  colorless  satin  complexion,  dark  eyes  alternating  between 
melancholy  and  restless  energy,  a  narrow  high  forehead, 
long  straight  hair,  and  a  lightly  penciled  mustache.  He 
was  said  to  resemble  the  well-known  portrait  of  the  Marquis 
of  Monterey  in  the  mission  church,  a  face  that  was  alleged 
to  leave  a  deep  and  lasting  impression  upon  the  observers. 
It  was  undoubtedly  owing  to  this  quality  during  a  brief 
visit  of  the  famous  viceroy  to  a  remote  and  married  ances- 
tress of  Don  Jose*  at  Leon  that  the  singular  resemblance 
may  be  attributed. 

A  heavy  and  hesitating  step  along  the  passage  stopped 
before  the  grating.  Looking  up,  Don  Jose  beheld,  to  his 
astonishment,  the  slightly  inflamed  face  of  Roberto,  a  vaga- 
bond American  whom  he  had  lately  taken  into  his  employ- 
ment. 

Roberto,  a  polite  translation  of  "Bob  the  Bucker," 
cleaned  out  at  a  monte-bank  in  Santa  Cruz,  penniless  and 


A   KNIGHT-ERRANT  OF  THE  FOOT-HILLS  457 

profligate,  had  sold  his  mustang  to  Don  Jose  and  recklessly 
thrown  himself  in  with  the  bargain.  Touched  by  the  rascal's 
extravagance,  the  quality  of  the  mare,  and  observing  that 
Bob's  habits  had  not  yet  affected  his  seat  in  the  saddle,  but 
rather  lent  a  demoniac  vigor  to  his  chase  of  wild  cattle, 
Don  Jose  had  retained  rider  and  horse  in  his  service  as 
vaquero. 

Bucking  Bob,  observing  that  his  employer  was  alone, 
coolly  opened  the  door  without  ceremony,  shut  it  softly  be- 
hind him,  and  then  closed  the  wooden  shutter  of  the  grat- 
ing. Don  Jose*  surveyed  him  with  mild  surprise  and 
dignified  composure.  The  man  appeared  perfectly  sober,  — 
it  was  a  peculiarity  of  his  dissipated  habits  that,  when  not 
actually  raving  with  drink,  he  was  singularly  shrewd  and 
practical. 

"  Look  yer,  Don  Kosay,"  he  began  in  a  brusque  but 
guarded  voice,  "  you  and  me  is  pards.  When  ye  picked 
me  and  the  mare  up  and  set  us  on  our  legs  again  in  this 
yer  ranch,  I  allowed  I  'd  tie  to  ye  whenever  ye  was  in 
trouble  —  and  wanted  me.  And  I  reckon  that  ?s  what 's 
the  matter  now.  For  from  what  I  see  and  hear  on  every 
side,  although  you  're  the  boss  of  this  consarn,  you  're 
surrounded  by  a  gang  of  spies  and  traitors.  Your  comings 
and  goings,  your  ins  and  outs,  is  dogged  and  followed  and 
blown  upon.  The  folks  you  trust  is  playing  it  on  ye.  It 
ain't  for  me  to  say  why  or  wherefore  —  what 's  their  rights 
and  what 's  yourn  —  but  I  've  come  to  tell  ye  that  if  you 
don't  get  up  and  get  outer  this  ranch  them  d — d  priests 
and  your  own  flesh  and  blood  —  your  aunts  and  your  uncles 
and  your  cousins,  will  have  you  chucked  outer  your  pro- 
perty, and  run  into  a  lunatic  asylum." 

"  Me  —  Don  Jose  Sepulvida  —  a  lunatico  !  You  are 
yourself  crazy  of  drink,  friend  Roberto." 

"  Yes,"  said  Koberto  grimly,  "  but  that  kind  ain't  illegal, 
while  your  makin'  ducks  and  drakes  of  your  property  and 


458  A   KNIGHT-ERRANT   OF   THE  FOOT-HILLS 

going  into  'Merikin  ideas  and  'Merikin  speculations  they 
reckon  is.  And  speakin'  on  the  square,  it  ain't  nat'ral." 

Don  Jose  sprang  to  his  feet  and  began  to  pace  up  and 
down  his  cell-like  study.  "  Ah,  I  remember  now,"  he 
muttered,  "  I  begin  to  comprehend  :  Father  Felipe's  homi- 
lies and  discourses !  My  aunt's  too  affectionate  care  !  My 
cousin's  discreet  consideration  !  The  prompt  attention  of 
my  servants  !  I  see  it  all !  And  you,"  he  said,  suddenly 
facing  Eoberto,  "  why  come  you  to  tell  me  this  ?  " 

"  Well,  boss/'  said  the  American  dryly,  "I  reckoned  to 
stand  by  you." 

"  Ah,"  said  Don  Jose,  visibly  affected.  "  Good  Eo- 
berto, come  hither,  child,  you  may  kiss  my  hand." 

"  If  !  it 's  all  the  same  to  you,  Don  Kosay,  —  that  kin 
slide." 

"  Ah,  if  —  yes,"  said  Don  Josd,  meditatively  putting 
his  hand  to  his  forehead,  "  miserable  that  I  am  !  —  I  re- 
membered not  you  were  Americano.  Pardon,  my  friend  — 
embrace  me  —  Conpanero  y  Amigo." 

With  characteristic  gravity  he  reclined  for  a  moment 
upon  Robert's  astonished  breast.  Then  recovering  himself 
with  equal  gravity  he  paused,  lifted  his  hand  with  gentle 
warning,  marched  to  a  recess  in  the  corner,  unhooked  a 
rapier  hanging  from  the  wall,  and  turned  to  his  companion. 

"  We  will  defend  ourselves,  friend  Eoberto.  It  is  the 
sword  of  the  Comandante  —  my  ancestor.  The  blade  is  of 
Toledo." 

"  An  ordinary  six-shooter  of  Colt's  would  lay  over 
that,"  said  Eoberto  grimly  —  "  but  that  ain't  your  game 
just  now,  Don  Kosay.  You  must  get  up  and  get,  and  at 
once.  You  must  vamose  the  ranch  afore  they  lay  hold  of 
you  and  have  you  up  before  the  alcalde.  Once  away  from 
here,  they  dare  n't  follow  you  where  there  's  'Merikin  law, 
and  when  you  kin  fight  'em  in  the  square." 

"Good,"    said    Don  Jose*  with  melancholy   preciseness. 


A   KNIGHT-ERRANT   OF   THE   FOOT-HILLS  459 

"You  are  wise,  friend  Boberto.  We  may  fight  them 
later,  as  you  say  —  on  the  square,  or  in  the  open  Plaza. 
And  you,  camarado,  you  shall  go  with  me  —  you  and  your 
mare." 

Sincere  as  the  American  had  been  in  his  offer  of  service, 
he  was  somewhat  staggered  at  this  imperative  command. 
But  only  for  a  moment.  "  Well,"  he  said  lazily,  "  I  don't 
care  if  I  do." 

"  But,"  said  Don  Jose*  with  increased  gravity,  "  you 
shall  care,  friend  Roberto.  We  shall  make  an  alliance,  an 
union.  It  is  true,  my  brother,  you  drink  of  whiskey,  and 
at  such  times  are  even  as  a  madman.  It  has  been  re- 
counted to  me  that  it  was  necessary  to  your  existence  that 
you  are  a  lunatic  three  days  of  the  week.  Who  knows  ? 
I  myself,  though  I  drink  not  of  aguardiente,  am  accused 
of  fantasies  for  all  time.  Necessary  it  becomes,  therefore, 
that  we  should  go  together.  My  fantasies  and  speculations 
cannot  injure  you,  my  brother ;  your  whiskey  shall  not 
empoison  me.  We  shall  go  together  in  the  great  world  of 
your  American  ideas  of  which  I  am  much  inflamed.  We 
shall  together  breathe  as  one  the  spirit  of  Progress  and 
Liberty.  We  shall  be  even  as  neophytes  making  of  our- 
selves Apostles  of  Truth.  I  absolve  and  renounce  myself 
henceforth  of  my  family.  I  shall  take  to  myself  the  sister 
and  the  brother,  the  aunt  and  the  uncle,  as  we  proceed.  I 
devote  myself  to  humanity  alone.  I  devote  you,  my  friend, 
and  the  mare  —  though  happily  she  has  not  a  Christian 
soul  —  to  this  glorious  mission." 

The  few  level  last  rays  of  light  lit  up  a  faint  enthusiasm 
in  the  face  of  Don  Jose*,  but  without  altering  his  imper- 
turbable gravity.  The  vaquero  eyed  him  curiously  and 
half  doubtfully. 

"  We  will  go  to-morrow,"  resumed  Don  Jose*  with 
solemn  decision,  "  for  it  is  Wednesday.  It  was  a  Sunday 
that  thou  didst  ride  the  mare  up  the  steps  of  the  Fonda 


460  A   KNIGHT-ERRANT  OF  THE  FOOT-HILLS 

and  demanded  that  thy  liquor  should  be  served  to  thee  in 
a  pail.  I  remember  it,  for  the  landlord  of  the  Fonda 
claimed  twenty  pesos  for  damage  and  the  kissing  of  his 
wife.  Therefore,  by  computation,  good  Roberto,  thou 
shouldst  be  sober  until  Friday,  and  we  shall  have  two 
clear  days  to  fly  before  thy  madness  again  seizes  thee." 

"They  kin  say  what  they  like,  Don  Kosay,  but  your 
head  is  level,"  returned  the  unabashed  American,  grasping 
Don  Josefs  hand.  "All  right,  then.  Hasta  manana,  as 
your  folks  say." 

"  Hasta  manana,"  repeated  Don  Jose*  gravely. 

At  daybreak  next  morning,  while  slumber  still  weighted 
the  lazy  eyelids  of  "  the  Blessed  Innocents,"  Don  Josd 
Sepulvida  and  his  trusty  squire  Koberto,  otherwise  known 
as  "  Bucking  Bob,"  rode  forth  unnoticed  from  the  corral. 


II 

THKEE  days  had  passed.  At  the  close  of  the  third, 
Don  Jose*  was  seated  in  a  cosy  private  apartment  of  the 
San  Mateo  Hotel,  where  they  had  halted  for  an  arranged 
interview  with  his  lawyer  before  reaching  San  Francisco. 
From  his  window  he  could  see  the  surrounding  park-like 
avenues  of  oaks  and  the  level  white  highroad,  now  and 
then  clouded  with  the  dust  of  passing  teams.  But  his 
eyes  were  persistently  fixed  upon  a  small  copy  of  the 
American  Constitution  before  him.  Suddenly  there  was  a 
quick  rap  on  his  door,  and  before  he  could  reply  to  it  a 
man  brusquely  entered. 

Don  Jose'  raised  his  head  slowly,  and  recognized  the 
landlord.  But  the  intruder,  apparently  awed  by  the  gentle, 
grave,  and  studious  figure  before  him,  fell  back  for  an  in- 
stant in  an  attitude  of  surly  apology. 

"  Enter  freely,  my  good  Jenkinson,"  said  Don  Jose,  with 
a  quiet  courtesy  that  had  all  the  effect  of  irony.  "The 
apartment,  such  as  it  is,  is  at  your  disposition.  It  is  even 
yours,  as  is  the  house." 

"  Well,  I  'm  darned  if  I  know  as  it  is,"  said  the  land- 
lord, recovering  himself  roughly,  "  and  that 's  jest  what  ?s 
the  matter.  Yer  's  that  man  of  yours  smashing  things  right 
and  left  in  the  bar-room  and  chuckin'  my  waiters  through 
the  window." 

"  Softly,  softly,  good  Jenkinson,"  said  Don  Jose,  putting 
a  mark  in  the  pages  of  the  volume  before  him.  "It  is 
necessary  first  that  I  should  correct  your  speech.  He  is 
not  my  '  many  which  I  comprehend  to  mean  a  slave,  a  hire- 


462  A  KNIGHT-ERRANT  OF  THE  FOOT-HILLS 

ling,  a  thing  obnoxious  to  the  great  American  nation  which 
/  admire  and  to  which  he  belongs.  Therefore,  good  Jen- 
kinson,  say  *  friend/  '  companion/  '  guide/  *  philosopher/  if 
you  will.  As  to  the  rest,  it  is  of  no  doubt  as  you  relate.  I 
myself  have  heard  the  breakings  of  glass  and  small  dishes 
as  I  sit  here ;  three  times  I  have  seen  your  waiters  pro- 
jected into  the  road  with  much  violence  and  confusion.  To 
myself  I  have  then  said,  even  as  I  say  to  you,  good  Jenkin- 
son,  '  Patience,  patience,  the  end  is  not  far.'  In  four  hours/7 
continued  Don  Jose*,  holding  up  four  fingers,  "  he  shall 
make  a  finish.  Until  then,  not." 

"Well,  I'm  d — d,"  ejaculated  Jenkinson,  gasping  for 
breath  in  his  indignation. 

"  Nay,  excellent  Jenkinson,  not  dam-ned,  but  of  a  possi- 
bility dam-aged.  That  I  shall  repay  when  he  have  make  a 
finish." 

"  But,  darn  it  all,"  broke  in  the  landlord  angrily. 

"  Ah,"  said  Don  Jose*  gravely,  "  you  would  be  paid  be- 
fore !  Good ;  for  how  much  shall  you  value  all  you  have 
in  your  bar  ?  " 

Don  Josefs  imperturbability  evidently  shook  the  land- 
lord's faith  in  the  soundness  of  his  own  position.  He 
looked  at  his  guest  critically  and  audaciously. 

"  It  cost  me  two  hundred  dollars  to  fit  it  up,"  he  said 
curtly. 

Don  Jose*  rose,  and,  taking  a  buckskin  purse  from  his 
saddle-bag,  counted  out  four  slugs  1  and  handed  them  to 
the  stupefied  Jenkinson.  The  next  moment,  however,  his 
host  recovered  himself,  and,  casting  the  slugs  back  on  the 
little  table,  brought  his  fist  down  with  an  emphasis  that 
made  them  dance. 

"  But,  look  yer  —  suppose  I  want  this  thing  stopped  — 
you  hear  me  —  stopped  —  now." 

1  Hexagonal  gold  pieces  valued  at  $50  each,  issued  by  a  private  firm  as 
eoin  in  the  early  days. 


A   KNIGHT-ERRANT  OF  THE  FOOT-HILLS  463 

"  That  would  be  interfering  with  the  liberty  of  the  sub- 
ject, my  good  Jenkinson  —  which  God  forbid  !  "  said  Don 
Jose*  calmly.  "  Moreover,  it  is  the  custom  of  the  Ameri- 
canos —  a  habit  of  my  friend  Roberto  —  a  necessity  of  his 
existence  —  and  so  recognized  of  his  friends.  Patience  and 
courage,  Senor  Jenkinson.  Stay  —  ah,  I  comprehend  ! 
you  have  —  of  a  possibility  —  a  wife  ?  " 

"  No,  I  'm  a  widower,"  said  Jenkinson  sharply. 

"  Then  I  congratulate  you.  My  friend  Roberto  would 
have  kissed  her.  It  is  also  of  his  habit.  Truly  you  have 
escaped  much.  I  embrace  you,  Jenkinson." 

He  threw  his  arms  gravely  around  Jenkinson,  in  whose 
astounded  face  at  last  an  expression  of  dry  humor  faintly 
dawned.  After  a  moment's  survey  of  Don  Josh's  impene- 
trable gravity,  he  coolly  gathered  up  the  gold  coins,  and, 
saying  that  he  would  assess  the  damages  and  return  the  dif- 
erence,  he  left  the  room  as  abruptly  as  he  had  entered  it. 

But  Don  Jose*  was  not  destined  to  remain  long  in  peace- 
ful study  of  the  American  Constitution.  He  had  barely 
taken  up  the  book  again  and  renewed  his  serious  contem- 
plation of  its  excellencies  when  there  was  another  knock  at 
his  door.  This  time,  in  obedience  to  his  invitation  to  enter, 
the  new  visitor  approached  with  more  deliberation  and  a 
certain  formality. 

He  was  a  young  man  of  apparently  the  same  age  as  Don 
Jose*,  handsomely  dressed,  and  of  a  quiet  self-possession 
and  gravity  almost  equal  to  his  host's. 

"  I  believe  I  am  addressing  Don  Jose*  Sepulvida,"  he 
said  with  a  familiar  yet  courteous  inclination  of  his  hand- 
some head.  Don  Jose*,  who  had  risen  in  marked  contrast 
to  his  reception  of  his  former  guest,  answered :  — 

"  You  are  truly  making  it  him  a  great  honor." 

"Well,  you're  going  it  blind  as  far  as  I'm  concerned 
certainly,"  said  the  young  man,  with  a  slight  smile,  "  for 
you  don't  know  me." 


464  A  KNIGHT-EKKANT  OF  THE  FOOT-HILLS 

"  Pardon,  my  friend,"  said  Don  Jose*  gently ;  "  in  this 
book,  this  great  Testament  of  your  glorious  nation,  I  have 
read  that  you  are  all  equal,  one  not  above,  one  not  below 
the  other.  I  salute  in  you  the  Nation  !  It  is  enough  !  " 

"  Thank  you,"  returned  the  stranger,  with  a  face  that, 
saving  the  faintest  twinkle  in  the  corner  of  his  dark  eyes, 
was  as  immovable  as  his  host's,  "  but  for  the  purposes  of 
my  business  I  had  better  say  I  am  Jack  Hamlin,  a  gambler, 
and  am  just  now  dealing  faro  in  the  Florida  saloon  round 
the  corner." 

He  paused  carelessly,  as  if  to  allow  Don  Jose*  the  pro- 
test he  did  not  make,  and  then  continued  :  — 

"The  matter  is  this.  One  of  your  vaqueros,  who  is, 
however,  an  American,  was  round  there  an  hour  ago  buck- 
ing against  faro,  and  put  up  and  lost,  not  only  the  mare  he 
was  riding,  but  a  horse  which  I  have  just  learned  is  yours. 
Now  we  reckon,  over  there,  that  we  can  make  enough 
money  playing  a  square  game,  without  being  obliged  to  take 
property  from  a  howling  drunkard,  to  say  nothing  of  it  not 
belonging  to  him,  and  I  've  come  here,  Don  Jose,  to  say 
that  if  you  '11  send  over  and  bring  away  your  man  and  your 
horse,  you  can  have  'em  both." 

"  If  I  have  comprehended,  honest  Hamlin,"  said  Don 
Jose*  slowly,  "  this  Roberto,  who  was  my  vaquero  and  is 
my  brother,  has  approached  this  faro  game  by  himself  unso- 
licited ?  " 

"  He  certainly  did  n't  seem  shy  of  it,"  said  Mr.  Hamlin 
with  equal  gravity.  "  To  the  best  of  my  knowledge  he 
looked  as  if  he  'd  been  there  before." 

"  And  if  he  had  won,  excellent  Hamlin,  you  would  have 
given  him  the  equal  of  his  mare  and  horse  ?  " 

"  A  hundred  dollars  for  each,  yes,  certainly." 

"  Then  I  see  not  why  I  should  send  for  the  property 
which  is  truly  no  longer  mine,  nor  for  my  brother,  who  will 
amuse  himself  after  the  fashion  of  his  country  in  the  com- 


A   KNIGHT-ERRANT   OF  THE   FOOT-HILLS  465 

pany  of  so  honorable  a  caballero  as  yourself.  Stay  !  oh, 
imbecile  that  I  am.  I  have  not  remembered.  You  would 
possibly  say  that  he  has  no  longer  of  horses  !  Play  him ; 
play  him,  admirable  yet  prudent  Hamlin.  I  have  two 
thousand  horses !  Of  a  surety  he  cannot  exhaust  them  in 
four  hours.  Therefore  play  him,  trust  to  me  for  recompensa, 
and  have  no  fear." 

A  quick  flush  covered  the  stranger's  cheek,  and  his  eye- 
brows momentarily  contracted.  He  walked  carelessly  to 
the  window,  however,  glanced  out,  and  then  turned  to  Don 
Jose. 

"  May  I  ask,  then,"  he  said  with  almost  sepulchral 
gravity,  "  is  anybody  taking  care  of  you  ?  " 

"  Truly,"  returned  Don  Jose*  cautiously,  "  there  is  my 
brother  and  friend  Roberto." 

"  Ah  !  Roberto,  certainly,"  said  Mr.  Hamlin  profoundly. 

"  Why  do  you  ask,  considerate  friend  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  I  only  thought,  with  your  kind  of  opinions,  you 
must  often  feel  lonely  in  California.  Good-by."  He 
shook  Don  Jose's  hand  heartily,  took  up  his  hat,  inclined 
his  head  with  graceful  seriousness,  and  passed  out  of  the 
room.  In  the  hall  he  met  the  landlord. 

"  Well,"  said  Jenkinson,  with  a  smile  half  anxious,  half 
insinuating,  "  you  saw  him  ?  What  do  you  think  of  him  ?  " 

Mr.  Hamlin  paused  and  regarded  Jenkinson  with  a  calmly 
contemplative  air,  as  if  he  were  trying  to  remember  first 
who  he  was,  and  secondly  why  he  should  speak  to  him  at 
all.  "  Think  of  whom  ?  "  he  repeated  carelessly. 

"  Why  him  —  you  know  —  Don  Jose*." 

"  I  did  not  see  anything  the  matter  with  him,"  returned 
Hamlin  with  frigid  simplicity. 

"  What  ?  nothing  queer  ?  " 

"  Well,  no  —  except  that  he 's  a  guest  in  your  house," 
said  Hamlin  with  great  cheerfulness.  "  But  then,  as  you 
keep  a  hotel,  you  can't  help  occasionally  admitting  a  — 
gentleman." 


466  A   KNIGHT-ERRANT   OF   THE   FOOT-HILLS 

Mr.  Jenkinson  smiled  the  uneasy  smile  of  a  man  who 
knew  that  his  interlocutor's  playfulness  occasionally  ex- 
tended to  the  use  of  a  derringer,  in  which  he  was  singularly 
prompt  and  proficient ;  and  Mr.  Hamlin,  equally  conscious 
of  that  knowledge  on  the  part  of  his  companion,  descended 
the  staircase  composedly. 

But  the  day  had  darkened  gradually  into  night,  and  Don 
Jose  was  at  last  compelled  to  put  aside  his  volume.  The 
sound  of  a  large  bell  rung  violently  along  the  hall  and  pas- 
sages admonished  him  that  the  American  dinner  was  ready, 
and,  although  the  viands  and  the  mode  of  cooking  were  not 
entirely  to  his  fancy,  he  had,  in  his  grave  enthusiasm  for 
the  national  habits,  attended  the  table  d'hote  regularly  with 
Roberto.  On  reaching  the  lower  hall  he  was  informed  that 
his  henchman  had  early  succumbed  to  the  potency  of  his 
libations,  and  had  already  been  carried  by  two  men  to  bed. 
Receiving  this  information  with  his  usual  stoical  composure, 
he  entered  the  dining-room,  but  was  surprised  to  find  that 
a  separate  table  had  been  prepared  for  him  by  the  landlord, 
and  that  a  rude  attempt  had  been  made  to  serve  him  with 
his  own  native  dishes. 

"  Senores  y  Senoritas,"  said  Don  Jose*,  turning  from  it 
and  with  grave  politeness  addressing  the  assembled  company, 
"  if  I  seem  to-day  to  partake  alone  and  in  a  reserved  fashion 
of  certain  viands  that  have  been  prepared  for  me,  it  is  truly 
from  no  lack  of  courtesy  to  your  distinguished  company, 
but  rather,  I  protest,  to  avoid  the  appearance  of  greater 
discourtesy  to  our  excellent  Jenkinson,  who  has  taken  some 
pains  and  trouble  to  comport  his  establishment  to  what  he 
conceives  to  be  my  desires.  Wherefore,  my  friends,  in 
God's  name  fall  to,  the  same  as  if  I  were  not  present,  and 
grace  be  with  you." 

A  few  stared  at  the  tall,  gentle,  melancholy  figure  with 
some  astonishment ;  a  few  whispered  to  their  neighbors ; 
but  when,  at  the  conclusion  of  his  repast,  Don  Jose*  arose 


A  KNIGHT-ERRANT   OF  THE   FOOT-HILLS  467 

and  again  saluted  the  company,  one  or  two  stood  up  and 
smilingly  returned  the  courtesy ;  and  Polly  Jenkinson,  the 
landlord's  youngest  daughter,  to  the  great  delight  of  her 
companions,  blew  him  a  kiss. 

After  visiting  the  vaquero  in  his  room,  and  with  his  own 
hand  applying  some  native  ointment  to  the  various  contu- 
sions and  scratches  which  recorded  the  late  engagements  of 
the  unconscious  Roberto,  Don  Jose  placed  a  gold  coin  in 
the  hands  of  the  Irish  chamber-maid,  and  bidding  her  look 
after  the  sleeper,  he  threw  his  serape  over  his  shoulders 
and  passed  into  the  road.  The  loungers  on  the  veranda 
gazed  at  him  curiously,  yet  half  acknowledged  his  usual 
serious  salutation,  and  made  way  for  him  with  a  certain 
respect.  Avoiding  the  few  narrow  streets  of  the  little 
town,  he  pursued  his  way  meditatively  along  the  highroad, 
returning  to  the  hotel  after  an  hour's  ramble,  as  the  even- 
ing stagecoach  had  deposited  its  passengers  and  departed. 

"  There  's  a  lady  waiting  to  see  you  upstairs,"  said  the 
landlord  with  a  peculiar  smile.  "  She  rather  allowed  it 
wasn't  the  proper  thing  to  see  you  alone,  or  she  wasn't 
quite  ekal  to  it,  I  reckon,  for  she  got  my  Polly  to  stand  by 
her." 

"  Your  Polly,  good  Jenkinson  ?  "  said  Don  Jose*  inter- 
rogatively. 

"  My  darter,  Don  Jose." 

"  Ah,  truly  !  I  am  twice  blessed,"  said  Don  Jose*, 
gravely  ascending  the  staircase. 

On  entering  the  room  he  perceived  a  tall,  large-featured 
woman  with  an  extraordinary  quantity  of  blond  hair  parted 
on  one  side  of  her  broad  forehead,  sitting  upon  the  sofa. 
Beside  her  sat  Polly  Jenkinson,  her  fresh,  honest,  and 
rather  pretty  face  beaming  with  delighted  expectation  and 
mischief.  Don  Jose*  saluted  them  with  a  formal  courtesy, 
which,  however,  had  no  trace  of  the  fact  that  he  really  did 
not  remember  anything  of  them. 


468  A   KNIGHT-ERRANT   OF  THE  FOOT-HILLS 

"  I  called/'  said  the  large-featured  woman  with  a  voice 
equally  pronounced,  "  in  reference  to  a  request  from  you, 
which,  though  perhaps  unconventional  in  the  extreme,  I 
have  been  able  to  meet  by  the  intervention  of  this  young 
lady's  company.  My  name  on  this  card  may  not  be  familiar 
to  you  —  but  I  am  '  Dorothy  Dewdrop.'  " 

A  slight  movement  of  abstraction  and  surprise  passed  over 
Don  Jose's  face,  but  as  quickly  vanished  as  he  advanced 
towards  her  and  gracefully  raised  the  tips  of  her  ringers  to 
his  lips.  "  Have  I  then,  at  last,  the  privilege  of  beholding 
that  most  distressed  and  deeply  injured  of  women  !  Or  is 
it  but  a  dream  ! " 

It  certainly  was  not,  as  far  as  concerned  the  substantial 
person  of  the  woman  before  him,  who,  however,  seemed 
somewhat  uneasy  under  his  words  as  well  as  the  demure 
scrutiny  of  Miss  Jenkinson.  "  I  thought  you  might  have 
forgotten,"  she  said  with  slight  acerbity,  "  that  you  desired 
an  interview  with  the  authoress  of  "  — 

"  Pardon,"  interrupted  Don  Jose,  standing  before  her  in 
an  attitude  of  the  deepest  sympathizing  dejection,  "  I  had 
not  forgotten.  It  is  now  three  weeks  since  I  have  read  in 
the  journal '  Golden  Gate '  the  eloquent  and  touching  poem 
of  your  sufferings,  and  your  aspirations,  and  your  miscom- 
prehensions by  those  you  love.  I  remember  as  yesterday 
that  you  have  said  that  cruel  fate  have  linked  you  to  a 
soulless  state  —  that  —  but  I  speak  not  well  your  own 
beautiful  language  —  you  are  in  tears  at  evenfall  '  because 
that  you  are  not  understood  of  others,  and  that  your  soul 
recoiled  from  iron  bonds,  until,  as  in  a  dream,  you  sought 
succor  and  release  in  some  true  Knight  of  equal  plight.' ' 

"I  am  told,"  said  the  large-featured  woman  with  some 
satisfaction,  "  that  the  poem  to  which  you  allude  has  been 
generally  admired." 

"Admired!  Senora,"  said  Don  Jose*,  with  still  darker 
sympathy,  "  it  is  not  the  word ;  it  is  felt.  I  have  felt  it. 


A   KNIGHT-ERRANT   OF  THE  FOOT-HILLS  469 

When  I  read  those  words  of  distress,  I  am  touched  of  com- 
passion !  I  have  said,  This  woman,  so  disconsolate,  so 
oppressed,  must  be  relieved,  protected !  I  have  wrote  to 
you,  at  the  e  Golden  Gate/  to  see  me  here." 

"And  I  have  come,  as  you  perceive,"  said  the  poetess, 
rising  with  a  slight  smile  of  constraint ;  "  and  emboldened 
by  your  appreciation,  I  have  brought  a  few  trifles  thrown 
off"  — 

"Pardon,  unhappy  Senora,"  interrupted  Don  Jose,  lift- 
ing his  hand  deprecatingly  without  relaxing  his  melancholy 
precision,  "  but  to  a  cavalier  further  evidence  is  not  required 
—  and  I  have  not  yet  make  finish.  I  have  not  content 
myself  to  write  to  you.  I  have  sent  my  trusty  friend 
Roberto  to  inquire  at  the  '  Golden  Gate '  of  your  condition. 
I  have  found  there,  most  unhappy  and  persecuted  friend  — 
that  with  truly  angelic  forbearance  you  have  not  told  all  — 
that  you  are  married,  and  that  of  a  necessity  it  is  your 
husband  that  is  cold  and  soulless  and  unsympathizing  —  and 
all  that  you  describe." 

"  Sir !  "  said  the  poetess,  rising  in  angry  consternation. 

"  I  have  written  to  him,"  continued  Don  Jose,  with 
unheeding  gravity ;  "  have  appealed  to  him  as  a  friend,  I 
have  conjured  him  as  a  caballero,  I  have  threatened  him 
even  as  a  champion  of  the  Right,  I  have  said  to  him,  in 
effect  —  that  this  must  not  be  as  it  is.  I  have  informed  him 
that  I  have  made  an  appointment  with  you  even  at  this 
house,  and  I  challenged  him  to  meet  you  here  —  in  this 
room  —  even  at  this  instant,  and,  with  God's  help,  we  should 
make  good  our  charges  against  him.  It  is  yet  early  ;  I  have 
allowed  time  for  the  lateness  of  the  stage  and  the  fact  that 
he  will  come  by  another  conveyance.  Therefore,  0  Dona 
Dewdrop,  tremble  not  like  thy  namesake  as  it  were  on  the 
leaf  of  apprehension  and  expectancy.  I,  Don  Jose,  am 
here  to  protect  thee.  I  will  take  these  charges  "  —  gently 
withdrawing  the  manuscripts  from  her  astonished  grasp  — 


470  A   KtflGHT-ERRANT  OF  THE  FOOT-HILLS 

"  though  even,  as  I  related  to  thee  before,  I  want  them  not, 
yet  we  will  together  confront  him  with  them  and  make  them 
good  against  him." 

"  Are  you  mad  ?  "  demanded  the  lady  in  almost  stento- 
rious  accents,  "  or  is  this  an  unmanly  hoax  ?  "  Suddenly 
she  stopped  in  undeniable  consternation.  "  Good  heavens," 
she  muttered,  "  if  Abner  should  believe  this.  He  is  such  a 
fool !  He  has  lately  been  queer  and  jealous.  Oh  dear !  " 
she  said,  turning  to  Polly  Jenkinson  with  the  first  indication 
of  feminine  weakness,  "  is  he  telling  the  truth  ?  is  he  crazy  ? 
what  shall  I  do  ?  " 

Polly  Jenkinson,  who  had  witnessed  the  interview  with 
the  intensest  enjoyment,  now  rose  equal  to  the  occasion. 

"  You  have  made  a  mistake,"  she  said,  uplifting  her 
demure  blue  eyes  to  Don  Jose's  dark  and  melancholy  gaze. 
"  This  lady  is  a  poetess  !  The  sufferings  she  depicts,  the 
sorrows  she  feels,  are  in  the  imagination,  in  her  fancy 
only." 

"  Ah !  "  said  Don  Jose*  gloomily  ;  "  then  it  is  all  false." 

"  No,"  said  Polly  quickly,  "  only  they  are  not  her  own, 
you  know.  They  are  somebody  else's.  She  only  describes 
them  for  another,  don't  you  see  ?  " 

"  And  who,  then,  is  this  unhappy  one  ?  "  ask«d  the  Don 
quickly. 

"  Well  —  a  —  friend,"  stammered  Polly  hesitatingly. 

"  A  friend  !  "  repeated  Don  Jose.  "  Ah,  I  see,  of  possi- 
bility a  dear  one,  even,"  he  continued,  gazing  with  tender 
melancholy  into  the  untroubled  cerulean  depths  of  Polly's 
eyes,  "  even,  but  no,  child,  it  could  not  be !  thou  art  too 
young." 

"  Ah,"  said  Polly,  with  an  extraordinary  gulp  and  a  fierce 
nudge  of  the  poetess,  "but  it  was  me." 

"  You,  Senorita,"  repeated  Don  Jose*,  falling  back  in  an 
attitude  of  mingled  admiration  and  pity.  "  You,  the  child 
of  Jenkinson ! " 


A  KNIGHT-ERRANT   OF   THE  FOOT-HILLS  471 

"  Yes,  yes/'  joined  in  the  poetess  hurriedly  ;  "  but  that 
isn't  going  to  stop  the  consequences  of  your  wretched 
blunder.  My  husband  will  be  furious,  and  will  be  here  at 
any  moment.  Good  gracious  !  what  is  that  ?  " 

The  violent  slamming  of  a  distant  door  at  that  instant, 
the  sounds  of  quick  scuffling  on  the  staircase,  and  the  up- 
lifting of  an  irate  voice  had  reached  her  ears  and  thrown 
her  back  into  the  arms  of  Polly  Jenkinson.  Even  the 
young  girl  herself  turned  an  anxious  gaze  towards  the  door. 
Don  Jose  alone  was  unmoved. 

"  Possess  yourselves  in  peace,  Senoritas,"  he  said  calmly. 
"  We  have  here  only  the  characteristic  convalescence  of  my 
friend  and  brother,  the  excellent  Roberto.  He  will  ever 
recover  himself  from  drink  with  violence,  even  as  he  pre- 
cipitates himself  into  it  with  fury.  He  has  been  prema- 
turely awakened.  I  will  discover  the  cause." 

With  an  elaborate  bow  to  the  frightened  women,  he  left 
the  room.  Scarcely  had  the  door  closed  when  the  poetess 
turned  quickly  to  Polly.  "  The  man 's  a  stark  staring 
lunatic,  but,  thank  Heaven,  Abner  will  see  it  at  once. 
And  now  let 's  get  away  while  we  can.  To  think,"  she 
said,  snatching  up  her  scattered  manuscripts,  "that  that 
was  all  the  beast  wanted." 

"  I  'm  sure  he  's  very  gentle  and  kind,"  said  Polly,  re- 
covering her  dimples  with  a  demure  pout ;  "  but  stop,  he 's 
coming  back." 

It  was  indeed  Don  Jose  reentering  the  room  with  the 
composure  of  a  relieved  and  self-satisfied  mind.  "It  is 
even  as  I  said,  Seiiora,"  he  began,  taking  the  poetess's 
hand,  —  "  and  more.  You  are  saved  !  " 

As  the  women  only  stared  at  each  other,  he  gravely 
folded  his  arms  and  continued  :  "  I  will  explain.  For  the 
instant  I  have  not  remember  that,  in  imitation  of  your 
own  delicacy,  I  have  given  to  your  husband  in  my  letter, 
not  the  name  of  myself,  but,  as  a  mere  Don  Fulano,  the 


472  A   KNIGHT-ERRANT   OF   THE   FOOT-HILLS 

name  of  my  brother  Koberto  — l  Bucking  Bob.'  Your 
husband  have  this  moment  arrive !  Penetrating  the  bed- 
room of  the  excellent  Roberto,  he  has  indiscreetly  seize 
him  in  his  bed,  without  explanation,  without  introduction, 
without  fear  !  The  excellent  Koberto,  ever  ready  for  such 
distractions,  have  respond !  In  a  word,  to  use  the  lan- 
guage of  the  good  Jenkinson  —  our  host,  our  father  — 
who  was  present,  he  have  '  wiped  the  floor  with  your  hus- 
band/ and  have  even  carried  him  down  the  staircase  to  the 
street.  Believe  me,  he  will  not  return.  You  are  free  !  " 

"  Fool !  Idiot !  Crazy  beast !  "  said  the  poetess,  dash- 
ing past  him  and  out  of  the  door.  "  You  shall  pay  for 
this !  " 

Don  Jose  did  not  change  his  imperturbable  and  melan- 
choly calm.  "  And  now,  little  one,'7  he  said,  dropping  on 
one  knee  before  the  half-frightened  Polly,  "  child  of  Jen- 
kinson, now  that  thy  perhaps  too  excitable  sponsor  has,  in 
a  poet's  caprice,  abandoned  thee  for  some  newer  fantasy, 
confide  in  me  thy  distress,  to  me,  thy  Knight,  and  tell  the. 
story  of  thy  sorrows." 

"  But,"  said  Polly,  rising  to  her  feet  and  struggling  be- 
tween a  laugh  and  a  cry,  "  I  have  n't  any  sorrows.  Oh, 
dear !  don't  you  see,  it 's  only  her  fancy  to  make  me  seem 
so.  There 's  nothing  the  matter  with  me." 

"Nothing  the  matter,"  repeated  Don  Jose  slowly. 
"  You  have  no  distress  ?  You  want  no  succor,  no  relief, 
no  protector  ?  This,  then,  is  but  another  delusion  !  "  he 
said,  rising  sadly. 

"  Yes,  no  —  that  is  —  oh,  my  gracious  goodness  !  "  said 
Polly,  hopelessly  divided  between  a  sense  of  the  ridiculous 
and  some  strange  attraction  in  the  dark,  gentle  eyes  that 
were  fixed  upon  her  half  reproachfully.  "  You  don't  un- 
derstand." 

Don  Jose  replied  only  with  a  melancholy  smile,  and 
then  going  to  the  door  opened  it  with  a  bowed  head  and 


A  KNIGHT-ERRANT  OF  THE  FOOT-HILLS  473 

respectful  courtesy.  At  the  act  Polly  plucked  up  courage 
again,  and  with  it  a  slight  dash  of  her  old  audacity. 

"  I  'm  sure  1 'm  very  sorry  that  I  ain't  got  any  love 
sorrows,"  she  said  demurely.  "  And  I  suppose  it  's  very 
dreadful  in  me  not  to  have  been  raving  and  broken-hearted 
over  somebody  or  other  as  that  woman  has  said.  Only,'7 
she  waited  till  she  had  gained  the  secure  vantage  of  the 
threshold,  "  I  never  knew  a  gentleman  to  object  to  it  be- 
fore !  " 

With  this  Parthian  arrow  from  her  blue  eyes  she  slipped 
into  the  passage  and  vanished  through  the  door  of  the  op- 
posite parlor.  For  an  instant  Don  Jose  remained  motion- 
less and  reflecting.  Then,  recovering  himself  with  grave 
precision,  he  deliberately  picked  up  his  narrow  black  gloves 
from  the  table,  drew  them  on,  took  his  hat  in  his  hand, 
and,  solemnly  striding  across  the  passage,  entered  the  door 
that  had  just  closed  behind  her. 


m 

IT  must  not  be  supposed  that  in  the  meantime  the  flight 
of  Don  Jose  and  his  follower  was  unattended  by  any  com- 
motion at  the  rancho  of  the  Blessed  Innocents.  At  the 
end  of  three  hours'  deliberation,  in  which  the  retainers 
were  severally  examined,  the  corral  searched,  and  the  well 
in  the  courtyard  sounded,  scouts  were  dispatched  in  differ- 
ent directions,  who  returned  with  the  surprising  informa- 
tion that  the  fugitives  were  not  in  the  vicinity.  A  trust- 
worthy messenger  was  sent  to  Monterey  for  "  custom-house 
paper,"  on  which  to  draw  up  a  formal  declaration  of  the 
affair.  The  archbishop  was  summoned  from  San  Luis,  and 
Don  Victor  and  Don'Vincente  Sepulvida,  with  the  Donas 
Carmen  and  Inez  Alvarado,  and  a  former  alcalde,  gathered 
at  a  family  council  the  next  day.  In  this  serious  conclave 
the  good  Father  Felipe  once  more  expounded  the  alienated 
condition  and  the  dangerous  reading  of  the  absent  man. 
In  the  midst  of  which  the  ordinary  post  brought  a  letter 
from  Don  Jose*,  calmly  inviting  the  family  to  dine  with 
him  and  Roberto  at  San  Mateo  on  the  following  Wednes- 
day. The  document  was  passed  gravely  from  hand  to 
hand.  Was  it  a  fresh  evidence  of  mental  aberration  —  an 
audacity  of  frenzy  —  or  a  trick  of  the  vaquero  ?  The 
archbishop  and  alcalde  shook  their  heads  —  it  was  without 
doubt  a  lawless,  even  a  sacrilegious  and  blasphemous  fete. 
But  a  certain  curiosity  of  the  ladies  and  of  Father  Felipe 
carried  the  day.  Without  formally  accepting  the  invitation 
it  was  decided  that  the  family  should  examine  the  afflicted 
man,  with  a  view  of  taking  active  measures  hereafter.  On 


A  KNIGHT-ERRANT  OF  THE  FOOT-HILLS  475 

the  day  appointed,  the  traveling  carriage  of  the  Sepulvidas, 
an  equipage  coeval  with  the  beginning  of  the  century, 
drawn  by  two  white  mules  gaudily  caparisoned,  halted  be- 
fore the  hotel  at  San  Mateo  and  disgorged  Father  Felipe, 
the  Donas  Carmen  and  Inez  Alvarado  and  Maria  Sepulvida  ; 
while  Don  Victor  and  Don  Vincente  Sepulvida,  their  at- 
tendant cavaliers  on  fiery  mustangs,  like  outriders,  drew 
rein  at  the  same  time.  A  slight  thrill  of  excitement,  as  of 
the  advent  of  a  possible  circus,  had  preceded  them  through 
the  little  town ;  a  faint  blending  of  cigarette  smoke  and 
garlic  announced  their  presence  on  the  veranda. 

Ushered  into  the  parlor  of  the  hotel,  apparently  set 
apart  for  their  reception,  they  were  embarrassed  at  not  find- 
ing their  host  present.  But  they  were  still  more  discon- 
certed when  a  tall  full-bearded  stranger,  with  a  shrewd, 
amused-looking  face,  rose  from  a  chair  by  the  window,  and, 
stepping  forward,  saluted  them  in  fluent  Spanish  with  a 
slight  American  accent. 

"  I  have  to  ask  you,  gentlemen  and  ladies,"  he  began, 
with  a  certain  insinuating  ease  and  frankness  that  alter- 
nately aroused  and  lulled  their  suspicions,  "  to  pardon  the 
absence  of  our  friend  Don  Josd  Sepulvida  at  this  prelimi- 
nary greeting.  For  to  be  perfectly  frank  with  you,  al- 
though the  ultimate  aim  and  object  of  our  gathering  is  a 
social  one,  you  are  doubtless  aware  that  certain  infelicities 
and  misunderstandings  —  common  to  most  families  —  have 
occurred,  and  a  free,  dispassionate,  unprejudiced  discussion* 
and  disposal  of  them  at  the  beginning  will  only  tend  to 
augment  the  good  will  of  our  gathering." 

"  The  Senor  without  doubt  is  "  —  suggested  the  padre, 
with  a  polite  interrogative  pause. 

"  Pardon  me  !  I  forgot  to  introduce  myself.  Colonel 
Parker  —  entirely  at  your  service  and  that  of  these  charm- 
ing ladies." 

The  ladies  referred  to  allowed  their  eyes  to  rest  with 


476  A   KNIGHT-ERRANT  OF  THE  FOOT-HILLS 

evident  prepossession  on  the  insinuating  stranger.  "  Ah,  a 
soldier,"  said  Don  Vincente. 

"  Formerly,"  said  the  American  lightly  ;  "  at  present  a 
lawyer,  the  counsel  of  Don  Jose*." 

A  sudden  rigor  of  suspicion  stiffened  the  company ;  the 
ladies  withdrew  their  eyes ;  the  priest  and  the  Sepulvidas 
exchanged  glances. 

"Come,"  said  Colonel  Parker,  with  apparent  uncon- 
sciousness of  the  effect  of  his  disclosure,  "  let  us  begin 
frankly.  You  have,  I  believe,  some  anxiety  in  regard  to 
the  mental  condition  of  Don  JoseV' 

"  We  believe  him  to  be  mad,"  said  Padre  Felipe 
promptly,  u  irresponsible,  possessed  !  " 

"  That  is  your  opinion  ;  good,"  said  the  lawyer  quietly. 

lt  And  ours  too,"  clamored  the  party,  "  without  doubt." 

"  Good,"  returned  the  lawyer  with  perfect  cheerfulness. 
"  As  his  relations,  you  have  no  doubt  had  superior  oppor- 
tunities for  observing  his  condition.  I  understand  also 
that  you  may  think  it  necessary  to  have  him  legally  de- 
clared non  compos,  a  proceeding  which,  you  are  aware, 
might  result  in  the  incarceration  of  our  distinguished  friend 
in  a  madhouse." 

"  Pardon,  Senor,"  interrupted  Dona  Maria  proudly  ;  "  you 
do  not  comprehend  the  family.  When  a  Sepulvida  is 
visited  of  God  we  do  not  ask  the  Government  to  confine 
him  like  a  criminal.  We  protect  him  in  his  own  house 
from  the  consequences  of  his  frenzy." 

"  From  the  machinations  of  the  worldly  and  heretical," 
broke  in  the  priest,  "  and  from  the  waste  and  dispersion  of 
inherited  possessions. " 

"  Very  true,"  continued  Colonel  Parker,  with  unalterable 
good  humor ;  "  but  I  was  only  about  to  say  that  there  might 
be  conflicting  evidence  of  his  condition.  For  instance,  our 
friend  has  been  here  three  days.  In  that  time  he  has  had 
three  interviews  with  three  individuals  under  singular  cir- 


A   KNIGHT-ERRANT  OF  THE  FOOT-HILLS  477 

cumstances."  Colonel  Parker  then  briefly  recounted  the 
episodes  of  the  landlord,  the  gambler,  Miss  Jenkinson,  and 
the  poetess,  as  they  had  been  related  to  him.  "  Yet,"  he 
continued,  "  all  but  one  of  these  individuals  are  willing  to 
swear  that  they  not  only  believe  Don  Jose  perfectly  sane, 
but  endowed  with  a  singularly  sound  judgment.  In  fact, 
the  testimony  of  Mr.  Hamlin  and  Miss  Jenkinson  is  re- 
markably clear  on  that  subject." 

The  company  exchanged  a  supercilious  smile.  "Do  you 
not  see,  0  Senor  Advocate,"  said  Don  Vincente  compas- 
sionately, "  that  this  is  but  a  conspiracy  to  avail  themselves 
of  our  relative's  weakness  ?  Of  a  necessity  they  find  him 
sane  who  benefits  them." 

"  I  have  thought  of  that,  and  am  glad  to  hear  you  say 
so,"  returned  the  lawyer  still  more  cheerfully,  "for  your 
prompt  opinion  emboldens  me  to  be  at  once  perfectly  frank 
with  you.  Briefly,  then,  Don  Jose  has  summoned  me  here 
to  make  a  final  disposition  of  his  property.  In  the  carrying 
out  of  certain  theories  of  his,  which  it  is  not  my  province 
to  question,  he  has  resolved  upon  comparative  poverty  for 
himself  as  best  fitted  for  his  purpose,  and  to  employ  his 
wealth  solely  for  others.  In  fact,  of  all  his  vast  possessions 
he  retains  for  himself  only  an  income  sufficient  for  the  bare 
necessaries  of  life." 

"  And  you  have  done  this  ?  "  they  asked  in  one  voice. 

"  Not  yet,"  said  the  lawyer. 

"  Blessed  San  Antonio,  we  have  come  in  time  !  "  ejacu- 
lated Dona  Carmen.  "  Another  day  and  it  would  have 
been  too  late  ;  it  was  an  inspiration  of  the  Blessed  Inno- 
cents themselves,"  said  Dona  Maria,  crossing  herself.  "Can 
you  longer  doubt  that  this  is  the  wildest  madness  ?  "  said 
Father  Felipe  with  flashing  eyes. 

"  Yet,"  returned  the  lawyer,  caressing  his  heavy  beard 
with  a  meditative  smile,  "  the  ingenious  fellow  actually 
instanced  the  vows  of  your  own  order,  reverend  sir,  as  an 


478  A  KNIGHT-ERRANT  OF  THE  FOOT-HILLS 

example  in  support  of  his  theory.  But  to  be  brief.  Con- 
ceiving, then,  that  his  holding  of  property  was  a  mere  acci- 
dent of  heritage,  not  admitted  by  him,  unworthy  his  accep- 
tance, and  a  relic  of  superstitious  ignorance  "  — 

"  This  is  the  very  sacrilege  of  Satanic  prepossession," 
broke  in  the  priest  indignantly. 

"  He  therefore,"  continued  the  lawyer  composedly, 
"  makes  over  and  reverts  the  whole  of  his  possessions, 
with  the  exceptions  I  have  stated,  to  his  family  and  the 
Church." 

A  breathless  and  stupefying  silence  fell  upon  the  com- 
pany. In  the  dead  hush  the  sound  of  Polly  Jenkinson's 
piano,  played  in  a  distant  room,  could  be  distinctly  heard. 
With  their  vacant  eyes  staring  at  him  the  speaker  con- 
tinued :  — 

"  That  deed  of  gift  I  have  drawn  up  as  he  dictated  it. 
I  don't  mind  saying  that  in  the  opinion  of  some  he  might 
be  declared  non  compos  upon  the  evidence  of  that  alone. 
I  need  not  say  how  relieved  I  am  to  find  that  your  opinion 
coincides  with  my  own." 

"But,"  gasped  Father  Felipe  hurriedly,  with  a  quick 
glance  at  the  others,  "it  does  not  follow  that  it  will  be 
necessary  to  resort  to  these  legal  measures.  Care,  counsel, 
persuasion  "  — 

"The  general  ministering  of  kinship  —  nursing,  a  wo- 
man's care  —  the  instincts  of  affection,"  piped  Dona  Maria 
in  breathless  eagerness. 

"  Any  light  social  distraction  —  a  harmless  flirtation  —  a 
possible  attachment,"  suggested  Dona  Carmen  shyly. 

"Change  of  scene — active  exercise  —  experiences  —  even 
as  those  you  have  related,"  broke  in  Don  Vincente. 

"  I  for  one  have  ever  been  opposed  to  legal  measures," 
said  Don  Victor.  "A  mere  consultation  of  friends  —  in 
fact,  a  fete  like  this  is  sufficient." 

"Good  friends,"  said  Father  Felipe,  who  had  by  this 


A  KNIGHT-EERANT  OF  THE  FOOT-HILLS  479 

time  recovered  himself,  taking  out  his  snuff-box  porten- 
tously, "it  would  seem  truly,  from  the  document  which 
this  discreet  caballero  has  spoken  of,  that  the  errors  of  our 
dear  Don  Jose  are  rather  of  method  than  intent,  and  that 
while  we  may  freely  accept  the  one  "  — 

"  Pardon,"  interrupted  Colonel  Parker  with  bland  per- 
sistence, "  but  I  must  point  out  to  you  that  what  we  call 
in  law  'a,  consideration7  is  necessary  to  the  legality  of  a 
conveyance,  even  though  that  consideration  be  frivolous 
and  calculated  to  impair  the  validity  of  the  document." 

"  Truly,"  returned  the  good  padre  insinuatingly  ;  "  but 
if  a  discreet  advocate  were  to  suggest  the  substitution  of 
some  more  pious  and  reasonable  consideration  " — 

"But  that  would  be  making  it  a  perfectly  sane  and 
gratuitous  document,  not  only  glaringly  inconsistent  with 
your  charges,  my  good  friends,  with  Don  Josefs  attitude 
towards  you  and  his  flight  from  home,  but  open  to  the 
gravest  suspicion  in  law.  In  fact,  its  apparent  propriety 
in  the  face  of  these  facts  would  imply  improper  influence." 

The  countenances  of  the  company  fell.  The  lawyer's 
face,  however,  became  still  more  good-humored  and  sympa- 
thizing. "  The  case  is  simply  this.  If  in  the  opinion  of 
judge  and  jury  Don  Jose  is  declared  insane,  the  document 
is  worthless  except  as  a  proof  of  that  fact  or  a  possible  in- 
dication of  the  undue  influence  of  his  relations,  which 
might  compel  the  court  to  select  his  guardians  and  trustees 
elsewhere  than  among  them." 

"Friend  Abogado,"  said  Father  Felipe  with  extraordi- 
nary deliberation,  "  the  document  thou  hast  just  described 
so  eloquently  convinces  me  beyond  all  doubt  that  Don  Jose 
is  not  only  perfectly  sane  but  endowed  with  a  singular  dis- 
cretion. I  consider  it  as  a  delicate  and  high-spirited  inti- 
mation to  us,  his  friends  and  kinsmen,  of  his  unalterable 
and  logically  just  devotion  to  his  family  and  religion,  what- 
ever may  seem  to  be  his  poetical  and  imaginative  manner 


480  A  KNIGHT-ERRANT   OF  THE  FOOT-HILLS 

of  declaring  it.  I  think  there  is  not  one  here,"  continued 
the  padre,  looking  around  him  impressively,  "  who  is  not 
entirely  satisfied  of  Don  Jose's  reason  and  competency  to 
arrange  his  own  affairs." 

"  Entirely,"  "  truly,"  "  perfectly,"  eagerly  responded 
the  others  with  affecting  spontaneity. 

"Nay,  more.  To  prevent  any  misconception,  we  shall 
deem  it  our  duty  to  take  every  opportunity  of  making  our 
belief  publicly  known,"  added  Father  Felipe. 

The  padre  and  Colonel  Parker  gazed  long  and  gravely 
into  each  other's  eyes.  It  may  have  been  an  innocent 
touch  of  the  sunlight  through  the  window,  but  a  faint 
gleam  seemed  to  steal  into  the  pupil  of  the  affable  lawyer 
at  the  same  moment  that,  probably  from  the  like  cause, 
there  was  a  slight  nervous  contraction  of  the  left  eyelid  of 
the  pious  father.  But  it  passed,  and  the  next  instant  the 
door  opened  to  admit  Don  Jose  Sepulvida. 

He  was  at  once  seized  and  effusively  embraced  by  the  en- 
tire company  with  every  protest  of  affection  and  respect. 
Not  only  Mr.  Hamlin  and  Mr.  Jenkinson,  who  accompanied 
him  as  invited  guests,  but  Roberto,  in  a  new  suit  of  clothes 
and  guiltless  of  stain  or  trace  of  dissipation,  shared  in  the 
pronounced  friendliness  of  the  kinsmen.  Padre  Felipe  took 
snuff,  Colonel  Parker  blew  his  nose  gently. 

Nor  were  they  less  demonstrative  of  their  new  convic- 
tions later  at  the  banquet.  Don  Jose*,  with  Jenkinson  and 
the  padre  on  his  right  and  left,  preserved  his  gentle  and 
half-melancholy  dignity  in  the  midst  of  the  noisy  fraterni- 
zation. Even  Padre  Felipe,  in  a  brief  speech  or  exhortation 
proposing  the  health  of  their  host,  lent  himself  in  his  own 
tongue  to  this  polite  congeniality.  "  We  have  had  also, 
my  friends  and  brothers,"  he  said  in  peroration,  "a  pleas- 
ing example  of  the  compliment  of  imitation  shown  by  our 
beloved  Don  Jose*.  No  one  who  has  known  him  during 
his  friendly  sojourn  in  this  community  but  will  be  struck 


A   KNIGHT-ERRANT  OF  THE  FOOT-HILLS  481 

•with  the  conviction  that  he  has  acquired  that  most  marvel- 
ous faculty  of  your  great  American  nation,  the  exhibition 
of  humor  and  of  the  practical  joke.'7 

Every  eye  was  turned  upon  the  imperturbable  face  of 
Don  Jose*  as  he  slowly  rose  to  reply.  "  In  bidding  you  to 
this  fete,  my  friends  and  kinsmen,"  he  began  calmly,  "it 
was  with  the  intention  of  formally  embracing  the  habits, 
customs,  and  spirit  of  American  institutions  by  certain 
methods  of  renunciation  of  the  past,  as  became  a  caballero 
of  honor  and  resolution.  Those  methods  may  possibly  be 
known  to  some  of  you."  He  paused  for  a  moment  as  if  to 
allow  the  members  of  his  family  to  look  unconscious. 
"  Since  then,  in  the  wisdom  of  God,  it  has  occurred  to  me 
that  my  purpose  may  be  as  honorably  effected  by  a  discreet 
blending  of  the  past  and  the  present  —  in  a  word,  by  the 
judicious  combination  of  the  interests  of  my  native  people 
and  the  American  nation.  In  consideration  of  that  pur- 
pose, friends  and  kinsmen,  I  ask  you  to  join  me  in  drinking 
the  good  health  of  my  host  Senor  Jenkinson,  my  future 
father-in-law,  from  whom  I  have  to-day  had  the  honor  to 
demand  the  hand  of  the  peerless  Polly,  his  daughter,  as 
the  future  mistress  of  the  Rancho  of  the  Blessed  Inno- 
cents." 

The  marriage  took  place  shortly  after.  Nor  was  the 
free  will  and  independence  of  Don  Jose  Sepulvida  in  the 
least  opposed  by  his  relations.  Whether  they  felt  they  had 
already  committed  themselves,  or  had  hopes  in  the  future, 
did  not  transpire.  Enough  that  the  escapade  of  a  week 
was  tacitly  forgotten.  The  only  allusion  ever  made  to  the 
bridegroom's  peculiarities  was  drawn  from  the  demure  lips 
of  the  bride  herself  on  her  installation  at  the  "Blessed 
Innocents." 

"  And  what,  little  one,  didst  thou  find  in  me  to  admire  ?  " 
Don  Jose  had  asked  tenderly. 


482  A  KNIGHT-ERRANT   OF   THE  FOOT-HILLS 

"  Oh,  you  seemed  to  be  so  much  like  that  dear  old  Don 
Quixote,  you  know,'7  she  answered  demurely. 

"  Don  Quixote,"  repeated  Don  Jose  with  gentle  gravity. 
"  But,  my  child,  that  was  only  a  mere  fiction  —  a  romance, 
of  one  Cervantes.  Believe  me,  of  a  truth  there  never  was 
any  such  person  !  " 


fltbe  fitoerjiibe 

Electrotype*  and  printed  by  H.  O.  Houghton  &  Co. 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


